Thousands of Mt Hampden residents face imminent displacement to make way for Zimbabwe’s planned US$60 billion cyber city, leaving them in fear and uncertainty as the government remains silent on their future. Many residents have called Mt Hampden home for decades and are appealing for alternative accommodation.
Residents, who may be evicted as early as the first quarter of this year according to local government, expressed their biggest concerns about housing and employment in interviews.
Albert Mutiriwesango, a Mt Hampden resident since 1992, said, “Life is already difficult for us here. Now imagine if we are evicted without an alternative place to go—where will we even live? We are pleading with the government to provide us with accommodation.”
Parents with school-going children are also worried about the impact on their children’s education. “We are asking the government to help us. I have children in exam classes, and if we are relocated before the end of the year, their education will be disrupted, and they may not be able to sit for their exams,” said Lucky Lapkin.
Lapkin and some other residents are not originally from Zimbabwe. Their parents migrated from Zambia, Mozambique, and Malawi in the early and mid-1990s to work on a farm previously owned by a white settler. After the land reform program, they remained in the area, where their parents later passed away.
Many residents have already lost their jobs as businesses in the area face closure. Joyce Washamira, who worked at Prawell Bricks, a local brick-making company, appealed to the government for assistance. “We are no longer going to work. The company stopped operations, but they never explained why. Now, if we are evicted, we will be left homeless and unemployed. We hope the government will assist us with jobs, even small projects, and provide a decent place to stay with our families,” she said.
Between June and August last year, the government exhumed over 1,000 graves to clear land for the Zim Cyber City project.
