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NewsDay

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Demolition victims, furniture soak in rains

News
SOME of the victims of the Airport Road demolitions are enduring the rains as they sleep outside their former homes, while also falling victim to thieves, who stole some of their property after their houses were razed down on Tuesday.

SOME of the victims of the Airport Road demolitions are enduring the rains as they sleep outside their former homes, while also falling victim to thieves, who stole some of their property after their houses were razed down on Tuesday. MOSES MATENGA

When NewsDay visited the demolished structures yesterday afternoon, household goods could be seen soaking in water, while makeshift structures had been erected to protect children from the rains.

What-remained-of-what-were-once-houses-after-they-were-demolished-by-the-City-of-Harare-officers-in-the-presence-of-the-ZRP-in-Budiriro-yesterday-(4)

Children of school-going age and several people were busy loading their belongings onto several trucks.

Scores of truckers have temporarily relocated their business to Arlington Park, where they are recording brisk business transporting property belonging to the victims.

Moses Zimuto, one of the victims, said many displaced residents had been sleeping in the open for the past few days.

He said most of them were now heading to Stoneridge Park, where they were being relocated.

“We are in a sorry situation, but we want to thank government for assisting us. We are surviving by the grace of God. We lost a lot of property and some of our goods were stolen in the process,” he said.

Others said they were threatened that anti-riot police would come to chase them away.

“The rush you are witnessing here is because police said they are coming with dogs to chase us away. We hear they want to take us to a bush where there is nothing,” one displaced resident said.

He claimed unscrupulous politically-connected people were being allocated stands in Stoneridge Park at the expense of bona-fide displaced people.