What happened?

27 June 2005 - Approximately one month after the start of Operation Murambatsvina ("Restore Order"), police officers came to Porta Farm and distributed fliers telling residents to pack up their property and leave their homes. The police told the residents they would be back the following morning, giving them less than 24 hours to comply.

28 June 2005 - Early in the morning a convoy of vehicles and police descended on Porta Farm. The police were heavily armed. Residents watched helplessly as bulldozers and police officers in riot gear reduced their homes to rubble. Police officers reportedly threatened the residents, saying anyone who resisted eviction would be beaten. The destruction of Porta Farm went on all day -- only ending when darkness fell. Thousands of people were forced to sleep outside in the rubble in mid-winter.

29 June 2005 - The police returned to continue with the demolitions. They also began to forcibly remove people on the back of trucks. The Porta Farm evictions took place while the UN Special Envoy, Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka, was in Zimbabwe. Members of the Special Envoys team visited Porta Farm and witnessed demolitions and forced removal of people in police and government trucks. The subsequent report of the UN Special Envoy describes how the team was "shocked by the brutality" of what they witnessed. Local human rights monitors reported that during the chaos several deaths occurred, including those of two children.

The communities affected by Operation Murambatsvina were amongst the poorest and most vulnerable in Zimbabwe. In several cases, such as Porta Farm, they had been the victims of previous forced evictions carried out by the authorities. They were given almost no notice before their homes were demolished and no alternative accommodation was provided.


We, the undersigned support the Botswana Civil Society Solidarity Coalition for Zimbabwe (BOCISCOZ) in marking the anniversary of Operation Murambatsvina.

* We wish to state that we are shocked by the brutalisation of the victims of Operation Murambatsvina who were amongst the poorest and most vulnerable in Zimbabwe.

* We also pledge our solidarity to the ordinary citizens of Zimbabwe who are currently experiencing hardships and other miseries as a result of the ever-deepening crisis in Zimbabwe.