KEY POINTS
- Residents demand clarity on their eviction timeline from the government.
- Families fear homelessness and disruption to children’s education.
- Government dismisses residents’ concerns, offering no formal relocation plans.
Residents of Turner Farm in Mt Hampden are appealing to the Zimbabwean government for clear information about their relocation timeline as they face displacement for the Zim Cyber City project.
The multi-billion-dollar project, about 26 kilometers northwest of Harare, functions as a project to develop a contemporary administrative capital.
However, thousands of residents express they cannot organize their long-term plans because they remain uncertain about their future.
“We are just waiting for something to happen, living on the edge,” said Tamira Rufaso, 40, who fears the lack of communication from the government could mean eviction at any moment.
The project is being developed by UAE-based Mulk International, which has invested an initial $500 million. Zimbabwe’s government has already exhumed over 1,000 graves from the site between June and August last year to pave the way for construction.
Families fear homelessness and disruption to their lives
For many Mt Hampden residents, this is the only home they have ever known. Some, like Ephraim Kurushiwe, 62, expresses the most concern about being left homeless.
“I am asking the government to provide accommodation when they move us,” he pleaded.
Others worry about the impact on their children’s education. Parents, like Amos Basi, 48, say they cannot even plan for the school year because they don’t know when they will be forced to leave.
According to New Zimbabwe, the government previously stated that residents would be relocated by mid-2025, but no formal notice has been given.
“We need clear information,” said Cosmas Mandipwanya, who has lived in the area since 1994. “I can’t even start a six-month project because we could be evicted at any time.”
Government dismisses residents’ concerns
The government displays no response to the demands for answers while residents persist in seeking explanations about their struggles.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba dismissed their plight on social media, calling their complaints “useless stories”.
He suggested that progress on Cyber City should not be hindered by “one distressed farm laborer” living in a “dingy one-room house.”
Meanwhile, efforts to get a response from the Ministry of Local Government have been unsuccessful. Spokesperson Gabriel Masvora maintains silence about any official announcements regarding relocation plans.
Most of the displaced residents are descendants of farm workers from Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. Many of them have nowhere else to go.
The promised organization of relocation is not transparent and families face uncertainty about their future.
