In response to Zimbabwe’s report, the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) noted, “the situation to the right to housing remains clearly inadequate. The committee is particularly concerned about the precarious situation of persons living in illegal structures or unauthorized housing. Persons should not be subjected to forced eviction unless this is done under conditions compatible with the covenant.”28 The Committee enquired about the measures that the government had taken to resettle the inhabitants of the “illegal” sector on other planned residential sites or to upgrade the illegal settlements.29 The Committee recommended to the Zimbabwean government that it take appropriate measures to effectively guarantee the right to adequate housing and in particular, to ensure that no forced evictions would be carried out without offers of alternative housing in accordance with the Committee’s General Comment No. 4 that calls on state parties to confer legal security of tenure to all persons lacking such protection thus protecting them from forced eviction and harassment.30 However, Human Right Watch received information that in the early to late 1990s, when the extent of the numbers of unplanned backyard extensions became known to the local city council, concerns were raised and were repeatedly ignored by central government authorities in the Ministry of Local Government.31 As one Harare City Council official told Human Rights Watch, “the city council was aware about the unplanned settlements and extensions but could not do anything about it. When we wanted to do something, we were politically stopped but now we are being politically encouraged to evict the people. At the time, it did not seem politically expedient for the government to evict people or solve the situation.”32 The government’s reluctance to address the housing crisis resulted in the continued growth of informal urban settlements. By 2005, the national waiting list for accommodation was reportedly up to 2 million persons.33 The human rights crisis Over the past five years, Human Rights Watch has been monitoring, investigating and reporting on its concerns about serious human rights violations in Zimbabwe. The 28 Concluding observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in response to Zimbabwe’s state party report, May 20, 1997. 29 See paragraphs 43 and 47 of the summary record of the 10th meeting by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Zimbabwe’s state party report, June 6, 1997. 30 Paragraph 21 of the concluding observations of the Committee on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights on Zimbabwe’s state party report. 31 Human Rights Watch interview with city council housing officer, Harare, June 25, 2005. 32 Ibid. 33 op cit. 10