HARARE – Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has said that there is no government policy authorising the demolition of people’s homes, months after declaring that he had been given permission to demolish houses under an operation to restore order in urban areas.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Garwe said the government was protecting residents from demolitions, including those backed by court orders, which he said could cause unnecessary suffering to innocent citizens.

“There is no government policy which says people’s houses should be demolished,” he said.

Garwe said authorities had intervened to stop local authorities from carrying out demolitions, citing Harare’s backlog of about 5,000 court orders directing the destruction of houses as of June 2025.

He said the government was instead pursuing compensatory measures for people who had lost land through double allocations.

However, his latest remarks contrast with statements he made at a ZANU PF Provincial Coordinating Committee meeting in Marondera on 13 June 2026, where he said he had been authorised to carry out demolitions.

At the meeting, Garwe spoke of an operation dubbed “Operation Unoziva Kwawakabva”, also referred to as “Operation Dzokera Kumba Kwako”, and declared that the authorities had been given the green light to demolish houses.

The operation was presented as part of efforts to restore order, improve urban planning, and enhance public safety.

In his latest remarks, Garwe said people seeking demolitions were pursuing their own ambitions rather than implementing government policy, warning that the law would take its course against anyone responsible for causing suffering to residents.

The contrasting statements come amid growing public concern over the ongoing demolition of homes across the country.

Many families have been left homeless and without shelter, exposing them to health risks as a result of the demolitions.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, on Wednesday, fired Tafadzwa Muguti, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, two months after his appointment, amid growing concern and confusion about the demolitions.