The Minister for National Housing and Social Ammenities, Giles Mutsekwa , has denied allegations made recently by the human rights watchdog, Amnesty International that the government had threatened to evict the residents of a poor settlement outside Harare if they failed to renew their leases ahead of a September 30th deadline.
Hatcliffe Extension is home to displaced people who were put there by the government after Operation Murambatsvina, the government’s so-called cleanup operation in which houses and businesses that were deemed to be illegal were bulldozed back in 2005. Nearly one million people were displaced and many others were dumped in rural areas by the roadside.
Responding to the recent allegations by Amnesty that the government had ordered Hatcliffe residents to pay an exorbitant $140 by the deadline or be evicted, Minister Mutsekwa said there was never any such plan and that hthe lease renewal fee was actually only $15.00, which he stressed could be paid in installments.  
“Not at all. I am quite please that you sort to check with me first. And I would have wished that Amnesty International had done the same before they made that serious allegation,” said Mutsekwa. “And even before the MDC came into government, I was one critic who never, ever, ever, would have wanted to see Operation Murambatsvina take place. And I think I’ve been on record for that.”
Mutsekwa said once he came into office as Minister for National Housing, he pronounced that no-one shall be removed from where they are legally staying unless alternative arrangements have been made for that person or family. He stressed that he adopted policies that are “pro-poor” because the majority of Zimbabweans are poor. The minister also explained that there are 3000 residents at the Hatcliffe Settlement and the land that they occupy is administered by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, because it is state land. 
“And I have checked with my counterpart Minister Chombo because I was very angry about it and he also pleaded ignorance in this affair,” added Mutsekwa. Simeon Mawanza at Amnesty told SW Radio Africa that the group their allegation was based on the notice that was distributed to Hatcliffe residents by the Ministry of Local government and on reports from the Coalition Against Forced Evictions, which had approached the Local Government ministry with alternative proposals.
Mawanza said the notice advised residents that their plots would be allocated to applicants on a waiting list should they fail to pay the renewal fees by the deadline. Members of the Coalition told Amnesty that the ministry would not accept payment in installments. As for the fee, Mawanza said the notice did not specify any one fee because the plots are of different sizes. The highest fee was however, $140.
The Hatcliffe case went to court on Monday. But we were unable to contact the Zimbabwe Lawyers For Human Rights, who represented the Coalition Against Forced Evictions at Hatcliffe. The outcome of this hearing and the nature of the charges should provide more incite as to whether any of the ministries that govern the residents at Hatcliffe had a case to answer.

By SW radio