Harare’s Wetlands Under Siege: The Land Barons and a Growing Environmental Crisis

A House built on wetlands in Harare (image source)

Reporter Over the past two decades, Harare has lost nearly half of its wetlands—ecosystems crucial to the capital’s water supply and flood regulation. According to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), about 82% of Zimbabwe’s wetlands are moderately to severely degraded, with Harare particularly hard-hit. Satellite imagery analysed by the Harare Wetlands Trust shows dramatic shrinkage of headwater wetlands like the Borrowdale Vlei between 2007 and 2019. The destruction is largely driven by illegal construction, unregulated land occupation, and pollution. At the center of this crisis are land barons—individuals and syndicates who sell wetland land for development, often in collusion with corrupt municipal officers. Robert Mutyasira of the Borrowdale Residents Association bluntly states: “The city of Harare has been irresponsible in allocating land. They have been allocating it anywhere.”

Wetlands naturally absorb rainfall, recharge aquifers, and filter pollutants. Their loss has led to worsening floods in areas like Budiriro and Mabvuku, and a declining water table has caused persistent shortages across the city. Residents now queue for water deliveries, sometimes for days. Although Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27), Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007, and the Constitution all provide for wetland protection, enforcement remains weak. Critics say that EMA and Harare City Council are either overwhelmed or complicit in ongoing illegal developments.

Urban planner Percy Toriro warns that without urgent reform, Harare’s wetlands could vanish completely within 20 years. Suburbs like Warren Park, Kuwadzana, and Mabelreign have seen mushrooming informal settlements, often on wetlands parceled through informal deals overlooked by city officials. The environmental consequences are immense. Harare’s groundwater recharge systems have been compromised, biodiversity has declined, and urban floods have become more frequent and devastating. The Mabvuku floods of recent years displaced hundreds of families, largely due to homes built on former wetlands.

There are promising efforts. The Harare Wetlands Trust is leading the restoration of Monavale Vlei, a Ramsar-accredited wetland, and new drone mapping technologies help track destruction more precisely. Environment Minister Mangaliso Ndlovu has warned publicly about the severity of the problem and the need for reform. To reverse the crisis, experts call for a comprehensive national wetlands strategy. This includes halting all illegal construction in wetland zones, strengthening environmental assessments, and rooting out corruption in land allocation. Community education, government-donor partnerships, and expansion of pilot projects like Monavale Vlei are also key.

Harare’s wetlands are the lungs and water vessels of the city. Their protection is not optional—it is essential for survival.