Violence broke out in the Bulawayo suburb of Makokoba late Tuesday when police moved into the country's oldest black township to demolish homes. Residents confronted police, asking why their homes, many standing for decades, were being demolished. Security forces used tear gas and batons to put down the protest. Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri said the ongoing cleanup was not intended to victimize anyone in particular, but was launched to restore order to the society. But MDC spokesperson Paul Themba Nyathi told Studio 7 reporter Blessing Zulu that that the mass demolition of homes has caused untold suffering among the poor.