By Joe Bradley (Harare)
Harare, Zimbabwe – A wave of devastating demolitions across Zimbabwe has left countless families homeless, traumatized, and questioning the very purpose of the law. The Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD) have issued a scathing condemnation, demanding an immediate halt to the demolitions and urgent legal reforms, echoing a growing public outcry.
The scenes are heartbreaking: homes reduced to rubble, personal belongings scattered, and despair etched on the faces of those who have lost everything. Many of the affected are impoverished citizens who, in good faith, built on land allocated by council authorities or fell victim to elaborate fraudulent schemes orchestrated by politically connected “land barons.”
“The law must not act as a shield for the elite or a weapon against the powerless,” declared Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, President of LEAD. Her statement cuts to the core of the issue: why are the vulnerable facing the full wrath of the law, while the corrupt officials and land barons who facilitated these illegal settlements remain untouchable?
This selective application of justice has ignited a furious debate. Critics point to a disturbing parallel with Zimbabwe’s colonial past, where oppressive laws prioritized the powerful over the people. “Today, history seems to be repeating itself under the guise of legal authority,” Masarira asserts, highlighting the bitter irony.
The questions are stark and urgent: Where is the justice for those who invested their life savings into homes now destroyed? Where is the accountability for the corrupt officials who enabled this crisis? And what protection is there for the elderly, children, and women brutalized by evictions with no alternative housing in sight?
LEAD is demanding immediate action:
Compensation and relocation support for all affected citizens.
As the dust settles on countless demolished homes, a crucial question hangs heavy in the air: Will Zimbabwe’s laws truly serve justice for all, or will they continue to be instruments of oppression, mimicking the very chains the nation once fought to break? The cries of the displaced demand an answer.
A moratorium on all demolitions until a fair and humane housing regularization framework is established.
A full parliamentary inquiry into the roles of government officials and land barons.
Urgent reforms to Zimbabwe’s urban development and housing laws to prioritize people over profit and power.
