Residents in Harare Suburb Describe Home Demolitions
Bulldozers and municipal police officers demolished homes in St Martins Extension, a suburb of Harare, the Zimbabwean capital, on August 14, according to resident Methro Masunga. Harare authorities say the demolitions are aimed at illegal construction, disputed land sales and development on sites reserved for public infrastructure.
Masunga, 28, is a single mother of three. She says she worked part-time cleaning houses for five years to save enough to buy a residential stand, meaning a plot of land for a house, in St Martins. She began paying for her stand in 2015 and received an allocation of the plot in 2019. In 2020, she says, the arrangement was formalised through the city council and official documents were issued.
The municipality says it is enforcing planning regulations against structures built without the necessary approvals or on land not designated for housing. A Harare council task force has inspected 22,255 sites to identify structures on prohibited or unauthorised land. City council records list more than 5,000 houses facing demolition under 37 outstanding High Court orders.
Memory Chengeta, another resident, said there was a court order to stop demolitions. He said municipal authorities went ahead without a court order overturning it.
Joachim Nhete said he used his retirement package to buy land and build a house in the affected area. He estimated his investment at more than $10,000.
Court records also show that on October 29, 2025, Justice Happias Zhou issued a consent order, meaning an order agreed between the parties and approved by the court, in case HCH5444/25. The order relates to demolition notices.
