Government Halts MPs’ Housing Stands On Monavale Wetland
HARARE – Government has moved to block the allocation of residential stands to Members of Parliament on Monavale wetland in Harare, ordering an immediate stop to all activity on the protected site and warning that the move is both unlawful and environmentally dangerous.
Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes, Engineer Tafadzwa Muguti, said the land in question is part of officially gazetted wetlands, placing it under national protection and outside the City of Harare’s jurisdiction.
“When an area is gazetted by the Government of Zimbabwe, it becomes a no-go area. It is protected and cannot be allocated for housing or any other development,” said Muguti, after meeting residents and environmental authorities in the capital.
Government Says Wetland Land Is Off-Limits
Muguti explained that once land is gazetted by Cabinet as a wetland, it becomes part of a national conservancy network, falling directly under central government protection.
That legal status, he said, makes any attempt to carve out residential stands in Monavale – including for legislators – a clear violation of national policy and environmental law.
The Monavale wetland, a key ecological site in western Harare, plays a vital role in water regulation, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience, similar to other sensitive urban wetlands such as Cleveland and Borrowdale Vlei in the capital. Urban farmers in nearby areas like Mabelreign and Avondale West often credit these wetlands with helping stabilise groundwater levels for boreholes and garden wells, especially during late dry-season vegetable production.
FFA Explainer:
Gazetted wetlands are areas formally declared and listed by government as protected ecological zones. This status is normally backed by statutory instruments and planning regulations, which restrict or prohibit construction, cultivation, and other disruptive activities to preserve water, soil, and biodiversity functions.
Alleged Side-Deals Bypass Formal Government Channels
Muguti said the contentious stands were not processed through formal government structures. Instead, he accused a small group of legislators, working with City of Harare officials and private individuals, of attempting to allocate land outside the proper channels.
“This was not discussed in Cabinet or Parliament. It was done by a few MPs and some individuals, but that is not how government operates,” he said.
He stressed that Parliament, as an institution, has no legal mandate to directly allocate land, which falls under the executive arm of government through line ministries and statutory authorities.
The Office of the President and Cabinet has formally written to Parliament, demanding clarity on how the allocations were made and requesting minutes of any meetings or decisions related to the stands.
EMA Ordered To Stop Development, Police On Watch
Authorities have ordered an immediate halt to all work on the Monavale site. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has been directed to stop any ongoing construction or land preparation, while law enforcement agencies have been tasked to monitor the area.
Muguti said this intervention should send a clear message to public officials, developers, and beneficiaries that protected wetlands are not up for negotiation, even in the face of housing pressures in Harare and other cities.
In recent years, EMA has repeatedly warned about illegal developments on wetlands in urban areas including Harare, Chitungwiza, and Ruwa, where housing co-operatives and developers have targeted open green spaces that serve as natural water recharge zones. EMA guidance emphasises that such developments worsen flooding, water shortages, and pollution.
Zimbabwe’s Ramsar Commitments Under Spotlight
Muguti warned that the Monavale case risks undermining Zimbabwe’s international environmental commitments, especially under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, which promotes the protection and wise use of wetlands worldwide.
He said Zimbabwe currently holds a leadership role within the Ramsar framework and has recently been commended for improving wetland management, making the Monavale situation both embarrassing and contradictory.
“What are we going to tell the world when we are seen destroying the same wetlands we pledged to protect?” Muguti asked.
Monavale is widely known among conservationists and bird watchers as part of a vital wetland system within Harare, supporting birdlife, plant diversity, and acting as a buffer against flash flooding. For smallholder farmers on the city’s outskirts, wetland health is directly linked to water availability for irrigation and livestock, tying the issue back to Zimbabwe’s commitments under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 13 (climate action).
Why Wetlands Matter For Farmers And Cities
Beyond the legal and political controversy, the Monavale case has reignited debate about how Zimbabwe manages urban expansion while protecting critical ecosystems that underpin both city life and agriculture.
Wetlands act like natural sponges, absorbing rainfall, releasing it slowly into rivers and aquifers, and filtering pollutants. In Harare, these functions help stabilise water levels in dams and groundwater systems that feed both municipal supply and countless boreholes used by households and small-scale irrigators.
On the outskirts of the capital, from Domboshava to Norton, many farmers grow leaf vegetables, maize, and tomatoes with water sourced from shallow wells and streams that depend on intact wetlands upstream. Destroying those wetlands can translate into poorer yields, higher irrigation costs, and greater vulnerability to droughts and floods.
Zvishavane-based agronomist and climate advocate, [VERIFY: name and role], told Farm Future Africa that urban wetland protection is not just an environmental issue but an agricultural one too. “When we drain or build over wetlands in places like Harare, we’re also disturbing the water cycle that feeds horticulture belts and peri-urban livestock. Farmers feel those changes first,” [Illustrative — verify or replace] he said.
Zimbabwe Anchor: Lessons From Budiriro’s Flooded Homes
For many Harare residents, the dangers of building on wetlands became starkly visible during heavy rains when suburbs like Budiriro and Kuwadzana reported flooded homes and water-logged roads. Residents and civil society groups have often linked these floods to structures erected on natural drainage lines and wetlands that once absorbed storm water.
In Budiriro, some families who bought stands in low-lying areas now struggle each rainy season to protect their homes and gardens from water damage. For urban farmers keeping chickens, growing vegetables in backyards, or raising a few pigs, recurrent flooding has meant disease outbreaks, lost crops, and extra costs on medicines and rebuilding. These experiences have strengthened calls for stricter enforcement of wetland protection, particularly under national frameworks like the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which recognises environmental protection as a foundation for sustainable economic growth.
FFA Explainer:
NDS1 is Zimbabwe’s medium-term development strategy for 2021–2025. Among its priorities are climate resilience, sustainable natural resource management, and supporting agriculture. Protecting wetlands fits into these goals by securing water systems that serve both urban and rural communities.
Eco-Tourism And Natural Capital, Not Concrete
Muguti said the growing global focus on natural capital accounting – where ecosystems like wetlands are recognised for their contribution to national economic value – should push Zimbabwe to treat places like Monavale as assets, not vacant land.
He urged residents and stakeholders to consider alternative uses such as eco-tourism, environmental education, and low-impact recreational activities that keep the wetland intact.
“Eco-tourism is about preserving biodiversity, not building structures. These wetlands host hundreds of species and are part of our natural heritage,” he said.
In practical terms, this could mean fencing designated protected zones, supporting community watchdog groups, and integrating wetland buffers into city masterplans. Some Harare residents’ associations already run bird-watching walks and environmental awareness events in wetland areas, demonstrating that protection and use can go hand in hand.
For farmers, eco-tourism and conservation can open up niche income streams, from supplying organic vegetables and free-range eggs to conservation lodges, to offering agro-ecology training plots near protected zones. Such models align with AU Agenda 2063’s emphasis on green growth and climate-smart agriculture.
Call For Communities To Defend Protected Areas
Muguti said government will not reverse course on wetland conservation and called on communities to be active partners in defending protected sites from encroachment.
He encouraged residents to report any suspicious activity, survey pegging, or construction on known wetland areas to EMA, local authorities, or law enforcement.
Zimbabwean environmental lawyers have often pointed out that existing laws – from the Environmental Management Act to urban planning by-laws – already provide tools to stop illegal development, if citizens and institutions are willing to use them. What has been missing in many cases, they say, is consistent enforcement and political will.
For smallholder farmers across the country, the Monavale episode is a reminder that the health of far-off urban wetlands is tied to the security of their own fields and water sources. A drained wetland in Harare today can mean a weaker water table and more erratic flows in rural streams tomorrow.
As the late-afternoon sun catches the reeds and grasses of Monavale, the battle lines are now clearer – not between city and village, or MP and resident, but between short-term gain and long-term resilience. Whether Monavale remains a living wetland or becomes another concrete estate will say much about the kind of future Zimbabwe is building under NDS1 and beyond.
For farmers from Mutoko to Mwenezi watching the skies and counting every drop of water, that choice is anything but abstract.
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