ActionAid International Southern Africa Partnership Programme (SAPP-Zimbabwe) 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background to “Operation Murambatsvina/Restore Order” The Operation that changed the lives of millions of people in Zimbabwe began on 18th May 2005; when the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) declared and rolled out bulldozers complemented by armed police across the cities of Zimbabwe to demolish all “illegal structures”. The Operation witnessed the destruction of urban poor dwellings, livelihoods, the destruction of vending stalls and the confiscation of goods and property of informal traders. It is estimated that over 55,000 households in 52 sites across the country and between 250,000 - 500,000 have been rendered homeless, or forced to migrate to the rural areas.6 Furthermore, more than 30,000 people were arrested and fined in the process. To date, the Operation has received wide condemnation from both local and international sympathizers, agencies and actors alike. Recently the “Report of the Fact-Finding Mission to Zimbabwe to assess the Scope and Impact of Operation Murambatsvina by the UN Special Envoy on Human Settlements Issues in Zimbabwe” – Mrs Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka emphases on the “wanton destruction of homes, business premises and vending sites” by the Operation. The exercise has been described as inhuman and lacking proper planning. But the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) continuously defends its position as attempt to clean up the city and rid it of illegal vendors, illegal dwellings and criminal elements who were among other things accused of fuelling the foreign currency black market. After initial resistance by the GoZ, humanitarian relief support and response to the affected individuals and families is being carried out under the coordination of various faith based organizations these include churches, in coordination with local community based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Furthermore, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) comprising of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), United Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) together with numerous International NonGovernmental Organizations (INGOs), have been providing support to community organizations and churches involved in providing relief to the affected communities. 1.2 Zimbabwe background Zimbabwe is currently facing the worst food insecurity, economic and political crisis to hit the country since independence in 1980. This crisis is qualitatively deeper and more serious than that of 1992-1994. This has resulted from a range of “entangled crises” such as rainfall failure, widespread disruptions in food availability, failures of governance, extreme levels of prevailing poverty and the erosion of livelihood strategies through HIV/AIDS. Vulnerability has been driven upwards by often silent but intensifying conditions of political, socio-economic and environmental vulnerability, which requires a 6 United Nations preliminary report Zimbabwe Operation Murambatsvina/Restore Order National Survey Report 1