infrastructure and services had been provided, was disregarded. The residents have since filed a contempt of court order on 28 June 2005. (See Box 1) Box 1: The Porta Farm: A history of evictions and relocations of 15 years 1990: A massive clean up campaign to rid the City of Harare of all “perceived unsightly dwellings” and squatter settlements takes place for HRM Queen Elizabeth II’s visit. Scores of people mainly ex-farm workers of foreign origin, and people who have lost their jobs, elderly and orphans and the really poor are moved from their homes in areas such as Epworth, Mbare, Borrowdale, Gumba and the area around the Mukuvisi River. The evictees are resettled on Porta Farm about 25 kilometres from the city. They are told to stay there by the government pending the finding and allocation of suitable accommodation alternatives. 1991: The Harare City Council (HCC) threatens to remove the residents who obtain an injunction from the High Court [HC 3177/91] prohibiting the council from evicting them until it had found alternative accommodation with the necessary basic services for them. 1993: Churu farm residents evicted against a High Court Judgment and some are settled at Porta Farm. The population is rising and reaches 5,000. 1995: HCC tries again to evict the residents. Another court order [HC 4233/95] is obtained preventing the demolishing of houses and eviction of the residents. This order is still pending and HCC is yet to comply. Aug. 2004: Ministry of Local Government attempts to evict the residents. Another injunction [HC 10671/04] is obtained preventing the Ministry from evicting them. Sept. 2004: HCC files a suit in the High Court [HC 11041/04] seeking an eviction order. The case is dismissed with the court referring to the 1995 order, which had not been discharged. Nov. 2004: The Ministry responds to the 1991 and 1995 court orders stating that alternative accommodation has been made available to the residents and that the Government is now in a position to resettle them at the new location. The residents seek to verify the allocations and seek to visit the sites with the Ministry. This does not happen, so the order not to evict is still operative. 19 May 2005: Operation Restore Order starts in Harare. 27 June 2005: Police at 6:00am distribute flyers informing the residents that they would be moved to Caledonia farm the following day so they should pack their belongings. 28 June 2005: Demolitions start at 11:30 am, an hour after lawyers representing residents have served the Government with a letter reminding it of the November 2004 court order! The police are shown copies of the 1995 and 2004 orders which they ignore. “The residents report that the police responded by saying that they were not in a classroom and that they could not read, and that they were not going to obey any court Orders as they are acting on orders from above”. 29 June 2005: Special Envoy’s team visits Porta Farm and witnesses demolitions and transportation of residents to Caledonia Farm. The mission is shocked by the brutality. Population is estimated at 12,000. Residents file a contempt of court application against the Government for violating a court order, however the High Court is yet to hear the case. 30 June 2005: Special Envoy visits Porta Farm in the evening and witnesses the serious humanitarian crisis and around 1000 evictees sleeping out in the open. Source: Interview with Mbidzo, Muchadehama & Makoni, Lawyers of Residents 61