[Mugabe loves that army of his. I’m still waiting for the day when they start mowing down the blacks with machine guns. The man is a mass-murderer waiting-to-happen. He is already (1985 – slaughter of 20,000 Matabele) – but I think he is capable of going on to “greater things” like Idi Amin, Stalin, Hitler, etc where he can slaughter millions. Jan]

The Zimbabwean government placed its security forces on high alert on Monday, in the event of a mass stay-away to protest against the forced eviction of informal settlers in and around the capital, Harare.

A broad alliance comprising the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU); the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), a coalition of civil societies; the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change; and several other civic bodies have urged people to stay away from work on Thursday and Friday this week.

The eviction campaign – described officially as an attempt to rid the capital of illegal structures, businesses and criminal activities – began three weeks ago and has left thousands of people homeless and without a source of income.

Since the announcement of the protest action the government has deployed armed riot police and soldiers in Harare and the second city, Bulawayo.

Police spokesperson Wayne Bvudzijena warned that security forces would deal with any form of protest, and said there were enough security personnel to contain the situation.

“Zimbabweans should be reminded that it is an offence to engage in protests without police clearance, and those caught on the wrong side of the law will surely be dealt with accordingly. It is therefore my advice to the people to resist manipulation by a few individuals for their own safety,” he cautioned.

Protests and mass gatherings without prior police approval are barred under Zimbabwe’s stringent security law, the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).

But civic leaders appeared unperturbed and vowed to press ahead with the protests. One of the organisers, Lovemore Madhuku, NCA chairman and law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe, told IRIN that threats of a crackdown would not deter protestors.

“The government has ruthlessly demolished people’s homes and destroyed their [market] stalls – in a way complicating things for the masses – and this is why we are saying people should register their disapproval through mass stay away,” said Madhuku.

The UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) has called for an “immediate” halt to the evictions. Miloon Kothari, special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, reminded the Zimbabwean government that forced evictions constituted a “gross violation of human rights”.

UN member states, prior to carrying out any eviction, must ensure that all feasible alternatives to avoid or minimise the use of force have been explored.

“Legal remedies or procedures should be provided to those who are affected by eviction orders, along with adequate compensation for any property affected, both personal and real,” said Kothari.

In cases where evictions are justified, “it should never result in rendering individuals homeless, or vulnerable to the violations of other human rights,” he pointed out.

The High Court in Harare has upheld as lawful the demolition of houses built in Hatcliffe, one of the affected suburbs, as the co-operative had not filed proper building plans.

The co-operative, supported by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), had challenged the operation. The official Herald newspaper reported that Justice Tedias Karwi had noted in his ruling that the affected people should have been given a longer period of notice of the demolition exercise.

ZimRights director Munyaradzi Bidi said the organisation was considering filing another application in the Supreme Court to stop the clean-up operation, which is still continuing.

Source: AllAfrica.Com
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200506060438.htm…/p>