Piece Description

In May 2005, the Zimbabwean government launched Operation Murambatsvina or Drive out the Filth. Officially it was designed to eliminate crime, clean up the streets and regularize the informal sector, the backbone of the country's collapsing economy. In actual fact, though, the operation destroyed the livelihoods of nearly 2.5 million Zimbabweans. It also left 700,000 people homeless. Over a year and a half later, the evictions are continuing despite international condemnation. The Zimbabwean government has pledged to build new dwellings and to allow informal markets and traders, but it has done nothing. The program features victims, vendors and human rights activists about Operation Murambasvina and its consequences. The reporter traveled to Zimbabwe undercover because of the government's draconian restrictions on foreign journalists. A related documentary about the collapse of Zimbabwe is also available: http://www.prx.org/pieces/15665