In May, with little or no warning, the government of Zimbabwe embarked on an operation to “clean up” its cities. “Operation Murambatsvina,” or Operation Restore Order, started in the capital Harare, and rapidly evolved into a nationwide demolition and eviction campaign carried out by the police and the army.
Popularly known as “Operation Tsunami” because of its speed and ferocity, it resulted in the destruction of homes, business premises and vending sites in several parts of the country. A July report by the UN Special Envoy on Human Settlements, Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, estimates that some 700,000 people in cities across Zimbabwe had lost either their homes, their source of livelihood or both as a result of the operation and a further 2.4 million were indirectly affected in varying degrees.
Operation Restore Order took place at a time of persistent budget deficits, triple-digit inflation, critical food and fuel shortages and chronic shortages of foreign currency. It was implemented in a highly polarised climate characterised by mistrust, fear and lack of dialogue between the government and local authorities, and between the government and civil society.
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