HARARE, Zimbabwe — Families in Harare’s St Martins Extension are living in makeshift shelters or returning to rented accommodation after municipal demolitions destroyed homes they say were built on land acquired through council-linked processes, Al Jazeera reports.

The municipality says it is enforcing planning rules against unauthorised construction. Residents dispute the legality of the operation, raising questions about their land documents and the scope of an earlier court order.

In reporting published November 10, Al Jazeera’s Calvin Manika described how bulldozers arrived in the neighbourhood at about 5 a.m. on August 14. Methro Masunga, a 28-year-old single mother of three, said she initially thought the machinery was there for roadworks before realising her home was marked for demolition.

Masunga said she began paying for her residential plot in 2015, received an allocation in 2019 and obtained official documents through the council in 2020. She had saved for years while doing cleaning and laundry work.

Another resident, Joachim Nhete, said he used his retirement package to buy land and build a house, estimating his investment at more than $10,000. His home was also demolished.

The scale of displacement across Harare in 2026 has not been independently established. Council records seen by Al Jazeera list more than 5,000 houses facing demolition under 37 outstanding High Court orders. That figure describes properties targeted, not homes already demolished.

A key point of contention is an October 29, 2025, consent order issued by Justice Happias Zhou. It set aside demolition notices against named applicants in St Martins Extension and barred their eviction or the demolition of their homes without a valid court order. It also prohibited further development without written council approval.

The order did not cover every property in the neighbourhood. Al Jazeera’s reporting does not establish whether Masunga, fellow displaced resident Memory Chengeta or their properties were among those protected.

The council maintains it did not demolish homes covered by the order. Spokesperson Stanley Gama told local media that authorities were targeting illegally built structures whose owners had repeatedly been warned not to proceed.

Mayor Jacob Mafume told NewsDay on August 15 that residents should produce approved building plans during inspections. He declined to comment on the legality of the specific St Martins demolitions.

An allocation letter or agreement of sale does not necessarily establish that a house had construction approval, leaving individual permits and the land’s planning status central to the dispute.

Zimbabwe’s Constitution prohibits home demolitions or evictions without a court order made after considering all relevant circumstances. The National Human Settlements Policy also calls for alternative accommodation before relocations and demolitions. Affected residents told Al Jazeera they had not been offered alternative housing.

Sources