KEY POINTS

• Harare demolitions have left families homeless amid disputes over land allocations and building approvals.

• More than 5,000 houses face demolition under 37 outstanding High Court orders.

• Residents and rights groups are demanding investigations, accountability and a halt to further demolitions.

Several families in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, have been left homeless after municipal authorities demolished their houses, triggering disputes over land ownership, building approvals and the legality of the operations.

The demolitions have affected residents of St Martins Extension, some of whom say they legally acquired residential stands through council-linked processes and spent years investing their savings in building homes.

However, the Harare City Council maintains that it is targeting structures erected without the necessary approvals or on land not designated for residential development.

One of those affected is 28-year-old Methro Masunga, a single mother of three who said she woke up at about 5am on August 14 to the sound of bulldozers and municipal police officers preparing to demolish homes in her neighbourhood.

Initially, she believed the machinery had arrived for road construction or land development. She later realised that her house was among those marked for demolition.

Masunga said she had spent years working part-time jobs, including washing clothes and dishes in other people’s homes, to save enough money to acquire a residential stand.

She began paying for the land in 2015 and received an allocation in 2019. According to her, the arrangement was formalised through the city council in 2020, when residents started receiving official documents.

Her house was eventually reduced to rubble, leaving her and her children without a permanent home.

More than 5,000 houses face demolition orders

The demolitions form part of a wider programme by the Harare City Council to address illegal construction, disputed land allocations and developments on land reserved for public infrastructure.

Although the total number of people displaced by demolitions across Harare in 2026 has not been independently established, council records reviewed by Al Jazeera show that more than 5,000 houses are facing demolition under 37 outstanding High Court orders.

These figures represent properties targeted under the broader demolition programme, not houses that have already been destroyed.

A separate council task force has inspected 22,255 sites to identify structures built on prohibited or unauthorised land.

Authorities argue that the operations are necessary to enforce planning regulations and prevent construction on land that has not been properly allocated or serviced.

However, affected residents insist that some of the properties targeted for demolition were acquired through arrangements involving the municipality itself.

Memory Chengeta, another resident of St Martins Extension, said the demolitions left residents confused because they believed an earlier court order had stopped the council from destroying their properties.

Chengeta, a former street food vendor, said she had saved money to build a home that would provide greater stability for her family. She is now living in a makeshift shelter after losing the house.

Some affected residents have returned to renting accommodation, while others have remained in the neighbourhood and constructed temporary shelters.

Joachim Nhete also lost his home after using his retirement benefits to purchase land and construct a house. He estimated that his investment exceeded $10,000.

Court order raises questions over demolitions

The controversy has raised questions about whether the Harare City Council complied with existing court orders and whether residents had obtained the necessary approvals before constructing their houses.

On October 29, 2025, Justice Happias Zhou issued a consent order in case HCH5444/25, setting aside demolition notices issued against named applicants in St Martins Extension.

The order prohibited the city council from evicting those applicants or demolishing their homes without obtaining a valid court order. It also barred further development without written approval from the municipality.

However, the ruling did not automatically protect every property in St Martins Extension. Available information has not established whether Masunga, Chengeta or their specific properties were among those covered by the order.

The council has maintained that it did not demolish properties protected by the court ruling.

Its spokesperson, Stanley Gama, said the municipality was only targeting structures whose owners had repeatedly been warned against illegal construction.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume also urged residents with approved building plans to present them during council inspections. He said the municipality had repeatedly warned residents to obtain the necessary documentation before proceeding with construction.

Harare’s principal housing director, Edgar Dzehonye, subsequently said residents had been warned against building in the area because it had not been adequately serviced.

The dispute highlights an important distinction between receiving an allocation letter or agreement of sale and obtaining approval to construct a house.

An allocation to occupy a residential stand does not automatically mean that building plans and construction activities have received the necessary authorisation. The validity of residents’ documents, the approved layout and individual building permits are therefore central to determining whether the demolitions were lawful.

Residents and rights groups demand accountability

Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents’ Trust, criticised the demolitions, arguing that they were particularly concerning because of the existing court order involving residents who had received land allocations from the municipality.

He alleged that the city’s town planning department and legal officers had directed municipal police to demolish houses in St Martins Extension despite the court’s intervention.

Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides protections against arbitrary evictions and demolitions.

Section 74 prohibits the eviction of people from their homes or the demolition of their homes without a court order issued after considering all relevant circumstances.

The National Human Settlements Policy also requires alternative accommodation to be prepared before relocations and demolitions. However, affected residents said they were not offered alternative housing before their homes were destroyed.

The dispute has also renewed attention on longstanding problems in Harare’s land administration system.

A 2019 commission of inquiry chaired by Justice Tendai Uchena identified unauthorised land sales, weak administration and poor record-keeping by local authorities.

The commission found that land barons had sold state-owned land without proper authority, with some allegedly operating alongside council officials.

Shumba said the Harare Residents’ Trust wrote to the president on July 22, 2026, requesting the publication of the report of the commission of inquiry into the financial affairs of the City of Harare.

The organisation also wants the recommendations of the Justice Maphios Cheda commission of inquiry into the city’s governance crisis implemented.

Residents say they paid for land through council-linked schemes

David Jenje, chairman of the St Martins Residents Association and the St Martins Housing Happiness Pay Scheme, said residents had paid for their residential stands years before receiving official allocation letters.

He explained that most members had paid deposits of $5,000 as far back as 2018.

According to Jenje, the council’s Education, Housing and Community Services Committee resolved in 2019 to accelerate the allocation and servicing of the land.

He said allocation letters and agreements of sale were signed in February 2020 after residents completed payments for the intrinsic land value.

Jenje described the demolitions as illegal, arguing that residents had followed the processes established for acquiring the land.

Human rights organisation ZimRights also expressed concern, saying the demolitions raised questions about the rule of law and accountability.

Harare South Member of Parliament Trymore Kanopula called for a suspension of further demolitions until the land allocations had been audited and investigated.

He also urged the government to present the findings of the commission of inquiry into state land sales to Parliament.

The Speaker of Parliament subsequently referred the matter to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for action.

Government distances itself from demolitions

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the government was not directly responsible for carrying out the demolitions and could not interfere with court proceedings.

However, he acknowledged that the Harare City Council had approximately 5,000 demolition orders.

Garwe said the government had, on some occasions, attempted to delay demolitions while exploring possible solutions to the disputes.

For residents who have already lost their homes, however, the government’s interventions have offered little immediate relief.

Nhete said he had no home insurance to recover the money spent on purchasing land and constructing his house.

He expressed hope that the courts would hold the Harare City Council accountable and order compensation for affected residents.

The dispute continues to expose tensions between urban planning enforcement, land administration and the rights of residents who say they acquired property through official channels.