An in-depth Study on the impacts of Operation Murambatsvina Estimated losses [whole sample by household] Loss of earnings Loss of property total reported Z$5,482,817,867.00 Z$23,463,846,404.00 average reported Z$6,661,990.12 Z$30,832,912.49 total sample loss Z$108,077,465,682.07 Z$456,697,099,784.56 loss over six months Z$648,464,794,092.40 All losses [total] Z$1,105,161,893,876.96 US$66,979,508.72 Now which figure is correct in reality – the higher or the lower – is academic in most respects, for the losses are enormous whichever figure is used, and in a population that has been struggling to survive in a highly adverse climate: the world’s fastest declining economy. On the most basic figures that we have obtained, each household affected by Operation Murambatsvina may have lost something in the order of Z$38 million. When the losses are seen in the context of the legal issues, then it seems clear that a very significant majority of those affected by Operation Murambatsvina have prima facie rights to redress and compensation, as was stated by the UN Special Envoy. CONCLUSIONS Trauma Firstly, it is clear that our findings both extend and amplify the previous findings. On these findings, there can be little doubt that Operation Murambatsvina has had devastating effects on the mental health of those affected. It is clear that this is not due to the Operation alone, but that the organized violence and torture of the past 5 years or so has had the cumulative effect seen in the consequences of Operation Murambatsvina. The overall morbidity is enormous – conservatively about 800,000 persons – and reflective of the situation seen in a “complex emergency”. It is noteworthy that the UN Special Envoy alludes to such a situation in her report, and the response of the United Nations subsequently reinforces that Zimbabwe has become a “complex emergency”. Certainly our findings suggest a picture commensurate with a war rather than a time of peace. It is important here to point out that we are talking about “clinically significant disorders”; that is, psychological disorders that ordinarily would require the attention of mental health professionals and that are unlikely to heal without such attention. Combined with the effects of the destruction of their homes and their livelihoods, it is even more improbable that these people will heal unaided, and there is a pressing need to develop effective psychological assistance for this population. Our data do not allow us to specify the types of psychological disorder suffered by the population, and hence there is a pressing need for good clinical follow-up. This is imperative, since some conditions, such as depressive disorders, have higher risk than others, and the risk of suicide and para-suicide must be quickly countered, especially in the situation of high adversity that most sufferers find themselves. viii