More than 300 families (approximately 800 people) are currently living in the bush after their homes were demolished by Riot police on Wednesday 17 August 2016 for allegedly illegally occupying the piece of land. The families have been living in the open in the rocky-bushy area for the past ten days. Their shelters were demolished and set on fire by riot police during the evictions. The families lost their property, food, identity documents and blankets in the evictions and subsequent visits by police details from Beatrice police station. Amongst these families are women, children, the elderly and chronically ill who are being exposed to the ravages of the harsh weather conditions with limited access to water, sanitation, food and shelter.
The families are camped in a bushy area about a kilometre from their demolished settlement. About 600 of these internally displaced persons (IDPs) have migrated from Dunstan Farm, an informal settlement near Harare International Airport which was demolished and razed down in February 2016 following an order by President Mugabe. Ever since this incident these families have been staying in make shift houses at Dunstan Farm waiting to be allocated alternative land to resettle by the land barons who sold them the stands near Harare international airpot.
It has been reported that in June2016 these families were relocated from Dunstan farm to Bremer farm in the hope that they will be allocated housing stands, with the Harare South Mp Mr Shadreck Mashayamombe playing a key role in facilitating and organizing transport to that effect. However upon arrival the land barons and leadership disappeared without allocating them stands as anticipated, leading to the victims organizing themselves and self-allocating housing stands at Bremer Farm until the subsequent evictions of 17 August 2016
The families are in urgent need of relief in the form of food supplies, clean water, clothing, blankets and temporary shelter.
