Amnesty International this week urged the Zimbabwean authorities to halt the eviction of 20000 people from a settlement outside the capital over non-payment of property taxes.
Amnesty said the Zimbabwean government had threatened about 20000 residents of impoverished Hatcliffe with eviction if they failed to pay the $140 lease renewal fee.
"Residents of Hatcliffe Extension are among the poorest and most marginalised in Zimbabwean society, and many households have no means of paying the lease renewal fee, especially as a lump sum," said Michelle Kagari, Amnesty's deputy director for Africa.
Many Hatcliffe residents are victims of a 2005 eviction campaign called Operation Murambatsvina (Drive Out Filth) that forced about 700000 people from their homes.