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130Security of tenureOperationMurambatsvina …was raised repeatedlybefore theUnited NationsSecurity Council asa possible threat tointernational peaceand securityeviction operation on human settlements issues inZimbabwe (see also Box 5.14):On 19 May 2005, with little or no warning, theGovernment of Zimbabwe embarked on anoperation to ‘clean-up’ its cities. It wasa ‘crash’ operation known as OperationMurambatsvina… It started in the … capital,Harare, and rapidly evolved into a nationwidedemolition and eviction campaign carried outby the police and the army… It is estimated thatsome 700,000 people in cities across thecountry have lost either their homes, theirsource of livelihood or both. Indirectly, a further2.4 million people have been affected in varyingdegrees. Hundreds of thousands of women,men and children were made homeless, withoutaccess to food, water and sanitation, or healthcare…The vast majority of those directly andindirectly affected are the poor and disadvantagedsegments of the population. They are,today, deeper in poverty, deprivation and destitution,and have been rendered morevulnerable. 53What was unique about the Zimbabwe evictions was thescale of international outcry that emerged from many partsof the world, strenuously opposing the eviction. For perhapsthe first time ever, the issue of this mass forced eviction wasraised repeatedly before the United Nations SecurityCouncil as a possible threat to international peace andsecurity. Equally noteworthy was the appointment (also afirst) by the United Nations Secretary General of a SpecialEnvoy to examine the forced eviction programme inZimbabwe and to suggest ways of remedying the situation.That a Special Envoy was appointed is yet another indicationof the growing seriousness given to the human rights implicationsof forced evictions, particularly when these are largescale in nature. It remains to be seen if other Special Envoyswill be appointed in the future to deal with mass forcedevictions in other countries.In one particularly large forced eviction effort, theGovernment of Myanmar forcibly evicted more than 1million residents of Yangon (Rangoon). In preparation for theVisit Myanmar Year 1996 undertaken in Rangoon andMandalay, some 1.5 million residents – an incredible 16 percent of the total urban population – were removed fromtheir homes between 1989 and 1994. The evictees weremoved to hastily constructed bamboo-and-thatch huts in theurban periphery. 54GROUPS PARTICULARLYVULNERABLE TO TENUREINSECURITYWhile tenure insecurity may, in principle, affect anyoneliving in urban areas, in practical terms particular groups aremore exposed than others. As noted above, it is always thepoor who are evicted, and similarly it is primarily the poorwho perceive lack of security of tenure as a threat to urbansafety and security. In addition, many social groups areBox 5.14 Recommendations by the United Nations Special Envoy on Operation MurambatsvinaThe people andGovernment ofZimbabwe shouldhold to accountthose responsiblefor the injury causedby the OperationThe first ever appointment by the United Nations of a SpecialEnvoy to address the consequences of mass forced evictions inZimbabwe in 2005 was widely welcomed by the world’s humanrights community as an important precedent. The recommendationsof her report were seen by many commentators to be bothfirm and constructive:Recommendation 1: … The Government of Zimbabweshould immediately halt any further demolitions ofhomes and informal businesses and create conditionsfor sustainable relief and reconstruction for thoseaffected.Recommendation 2:There is an urgent need for theGovernment of Zimbabwe to facilitate humanitarianoperations within a pro-poor, gender-sensitive policyframework that provides security of tenure, affordablehousing, water and sanitation, and the pursuit of smallscaleincome-generating activities in a regulated andenabling environment.Recommendation 3:There is an immediate need for theGovernment of Zimbabwe to revise the outdatedRegional Town and Country Planning Act and otherSource: Tibaijuka, 2005, pp8–9relevant Acts to align the substance and the proceduresof these Acts with the social, economic and culturalrealities facing the majority of the population, namelythe poor.Recommendation 5:The Government of Zimbabwe iscollectively responsible for what has happened.However, it appears that there was no collectivedecision-making with respect to both the conceptionand implementation of Operation Restore Order.Evidence suggests it was based on improper advice by afew architects of the operation.The people andGovernment of Zimbabwe should hold to account thoseresponsible for the injury caused by the Operation.Recommendation 6:The Government of Zimbabweshould set a good example and adhere to the rule oflaw before it can credibly ask its citizens to do thesame. Operation Restore Order breached both nationaland international human rights law provisions guidingevictions, thereby precipitating a humanitarian crisis.The Government of Zimbabwe should pay compensationwhere it is due for those whose property wasunlawfully destroyed.