Zimbabwe housing crisis

HUNDREDS of thousands of Zimbabweans made homeless by the brutal campaign of president Robert Mugabe to clear out slums look set to remain out in the cold for months.

Press reports claim that construction teams and prison brigades working on replacement accommodation at a farm in the capital Harare have managed to build only 38 homes up to window level.

Up to a million Zimbabweans have had their homes demolished during a two-month blitz on poor quality housing, which has provoked international outrage.

Mr Mugabe hit back last week, saying that Operation Clear Out Trash will bring "joy" to people because new homes are going to be built for them.

But ruling party sources say his government is broke. At Whitecliff Farm, one of the sites earmarked for a massive housing development, "at least 38 houses [are] now at window level, while more than 150 others are at various stages of development," the Herald reported.

The opposition MDC party says that Mr Mugabe is intent on punishing city dwellers who voted against him in parliamentary elections in March.