Zimbabwe council demolishes homes on undesignated stands in Honde Valley

Several homeowners in Hauna, Honde Valley, are counting losses after Mutasa Rural District Council demolished houses in an operation targeting structures built on undesignated stands. The local authority deployed its employees, escorted by Zimbabwe Republic Police officers from Ruda Police Station and Mutasa District Command.

Some residents said they had received eviction notices, but it emerged that many others had not been served, including households still in the process of building. One resident, who asked not to be named, said he bought his stand from a local villager in 2021 who produced an offer letter from Mutasa RDC, and that he only learned he had been conned during a meeting with council officials. A video of an elderly woman collapsing as the demolitions proceeded circulated widely on social media.

Mutasa RDC chief executive George Bandure did not respond to questions sent by 263Chat about the operation. The council has been issuing warnings on its social media platforms about illegal stands and undesignated vending sites as Operation Cheneso, run by the Local Government ministry led by Daniel Garwe, intensifies. The operation, initially viewed as targeting urban decay in towns and municipalities, has now extended into rural areas.

Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trust chairperson Shalvar Chikomba urged authorities to hold land barons who sell illegal stands to unsuspecting residents accountable. He said enforcement must go hand in hand with accountability and fairness, and that councils should establish who sold the land, who received the money and whether officials were involved before demolishing. ZNOART also asked councils to consider regularisation where legally permissible, while saying it does not condone lawlessness.