Homeless to sue Harare officials

HARARE: Hundreds of families whose houses were demolished by the government in Harare and Chitungwiza can sue the government for compensation because the evictions were unlawful, a legal expert has said.

The executive director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Irene Petras, said the High Court had noted that the authorities had showed no respect for the law when they went ahead and destroyed properties and put people out in the open over the past few weeks.

“They disrupted children from going to school, they disrupted people from getting access to medical treatment, without getting a court order and the government is going to find themselves in trouble because every person who is affected is going to file for unlawful action.

“They will be able to sue the authorities to get damages for the destruction of their property and being moved from their areas and all the other things which are associated with evictions,” she said.

She said whether or not the houses were illegally erected, once they were put up and there were people living in the houses, the authorities had no right to demolish the houses until they talked to the people who lived in the houses.

“They should tell them there is a possibility they are going to bring the houses down and they may have to lose their property. On top of that, they need to give people time to prepare themselves and ensure there is no damage to property and to be able to debate and discuss.

“The authorities have also to go to court and get a court order and that is where our authorities have not been getting it right,” she said.

Hundreds of families were left homeless after the government ordered the demolitions of their houses, saying they were settled illegally. – African News Agency