African archbishop condemns demolition of squatters' homes

Published: 2005-06-14

LONDON (CNS) -- An African archbishop has condemned the demolition of thousands of homes and businesses in Zimbabwe as "inhuman." Archbishop Robert Ndlovu of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital, in a rare public attack on the government of President Robert Mugabe, spoke out at against the government's Operation Drive Out Trash. He criticized the evictions in a June 12 radio interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. Under the policy, bulldozers have cleared away buildings and market stalls the government considers illegal because they were erected without the permission of the planning authorities. The government said it also wants to combat shantytown crime levels that have soared amid the country's economic crisis. The United Nations believes that 200,000 people have been left homeless as a result of the government's demolition program. About 30,000 people have been arrested for living in illegal buildings.

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