Unchecked development eats up wetlands in Harare

What was once a lush expanse of fig trees, wildflowers, butterflies, and vibrant birdlife is now a patch of disturbed land under threat from bulldozers and concrete mixers. The Borrowdale wetland, nestled in a quiet Harare suburb, is being transformed by construction activities that residents and environmentalists say could destroy one of the capital's last natural water buffers.

Brian Foster Mawer, a 79-year-old resident of the nearby Dandaro Retirement Village, has watched the slow degradation of this wetland over more than two decades. "Everything from anthills, fig trees, and flowers—people took walks there to enjoy the tranquility," he says. That serenity is now being replaced by the roar of heavy machinery as Vifot Investments, a real estate company, begins work on a large-scale development of 130 homes and 20 office blocks in the heart of the wetland.

While this project is still in its early stages, it symbolizes a troubling trend: the steady, often government-approved destruction of wetlands in Zimbabwe, even as the country prepares to host the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands this July. This global summit focuses on protecting wetlands, yet back home, environmental watchdogs say Harare is losing them at an alarming pace.

"The city of Harare has been irresponsible in terms of allocating pieces of land. They have been allocating land anywhere," says Robert Mutyasira, chair of the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association. According to Reuben Akili, director of the Combined Harare Residents Association, the Vifot project is just one of many developments greenlit without proper environmental oversight.

In 2013, the Longcheng Plaza mall was built on another vital wetland along the Harare-Bulawayo Highway. Since then, Harare's wetlands have been shrinking fast. A study by the Harare Wetlands Trust, which analyzed satellite images and field data, found that the city lost 50% of its wetlands between 2007 and 2019. The culprits: illegal settlements, cultivation, and unregulated urban expansion.

Wetlands serve as natural sponges, absorbing rainfall and replenishing underground aquifers. Their destruction has already contributed to more frequent flooding in suburbs like Budiriro and Mabvuku. But the implications stretch even further. Cities like Jakarta, Indonesia, are sinking due to wetland destruction. In Brazil and Argentina, massive developments continue to chip away at globally significant wetlands. Since 1970, around 35% of the world's wetlands have vanished.

Zimbabwe's environmental laws are, on paper, among the strongest in the region. Any development on or near a wetland requires approval from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), including a full environmental impact assessment (EIA). But enforcement is lax, and many assessments are riddled with inaccuracies.

In the Vifot case, environmentalists say the company deliberately misrepresented the project location in its EIA to bypass wetland protections. They claim the site was described as falling within an industrial zone in Tynwald, rather than being accurately listed as part of the Borrowdale wetland. Despite this, the EMA approved the assessment.

Several city officials have been caught in the fallout. Among them is EMA Director Aaron Chigona, who was arrested in January 2024 for his alleged involvement in the land deal. After spending more than a year on remand, he was released without prosecution and has since resumed his role.

EMA spokesperson Amkela Sidange defends the agency's decision, saying the project includes environmental safeguards such as a planned nature park and that construction will affect only five hectares of non-wetland land. However, Vifot Managing Director Liangming Jin told Global Press Journal that the residential development will occupy 14 hectares—nearly three times what EMA claims. He added that plans for the office blocks remain in development.

In an unusual exchange, Jin offered a Global Press Journal reporter US$200 for "lunch," which was declined. He also said that the company bought the land directly from the city.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, when questioned, said he was unaware of this specific project but admitted that illegal land sales on wetlands are a growing problem. "Sometimes it's not brought to our attention," he said, promising to address such issues when formally raised.

Mutyasira, from the Borrowdale residents association, says the courts have done little to protect wetlands, even in cases where development is clearly violating environmental rules. "We have not seen success in the courts," he said, adding that when wetlands are sold as private property, it becomes even harder to intervene.

Roger Fairlie, founder of the Greystone Nature Reserve—a wetland preserved by local residents—believes the key lies in community involvement. "You can't do it on your own. The real power is helping people understand how important wetlands are," he said.

Sidange agrees that environmental approval is not a license to destroy. "It's a commitment to protect," she said. If developers fail to uphold that commitment, EMA has the power to revoke certifications, though that rarely happens in practice.

Meanwhile, the situation on the ground worsens. Many Harare suburbs no longer receive municipal water. Others get water that's contaminated. Residents like Mawer rely on boreholes—some of which are already drying up. Experts warn that paving over wetlands could cut off what groundwater remains.

As Zimbabwe prepares to host the world in defense of wetlands, the irony is glaring: the very ground meant to sustain the city is being sold off, piece by piece.