Zimbabwe razing garages, cottages, chicken coops

Monday, July 11, 2005; Posted: 1:03 p.m. EDT (17:03 GMT)

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) -- Zimbabwean police extended their demolition campaign to Harare's wealthier suburbs Monday, going after unauthorized garages, cottages -- even chicken coops.

The announcement on state-run radio came as a dozen church leaders from neighboring South Africa met with some of the tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who have lost homes and livelihoods in Operation Murambatsvina -- Drive Out Trash, in the local Shona language.

The government defends the drive, launched on May 19, as an urban renewal campaign and says it will provide new homes to "deserving" Zimbabweans.

Opposition leaders say it is aimed at breaking up their strongholds among the urban poor and diverting attention from Zimbabwe's economic crisis. The demolitions and evictions come at a time when inflation has topped 144 percent, unemployment is around 70 percent and an estimated 4 million people need food aid.

So far, police have mostly targeted shantytowns, informal markets and other structures in impoverished urban and rural areas.

Zimbabwe seems to be in a contest with North Korea to see which one can exterminate its population first.