Mutodi halts Monavale Wetland housing plan after residents block graders

Mutodi halts Monavale Wetland housing plan after residents block graders

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Bikita South MP Dr Energy Mutodi has stopped a proposed housing development on Harare’s Monavale Vlei and written to Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe to apologise over attempts to peg residential stands on the protected wetland.

In a letter dated 10 June 2026, Mutodi offered what he called an “unreserved apology” to Garwe and to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He said he “was not aware the proposed site was under Ramsar” and confirmed that “no developments will take place at that site and all equipment has been removed forthwith.”

The letter followed weeks of protests and public pressure after graders and surveyors moved onto the vlei to mark out stands reportedly intended for close to two dozen Members of Parliament. Residents, under the #SaveMonavaleVlei campaign, blocked the machinery from clearing further ground, with the confrontation peaking on Saturday 6 June when activists stood in front of the graders.

Mutodi later told reporters that the project would not go ahead after he met Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda and Minister Garwe, who he said instructed the MPs to halt all activity.

Monavale Vlei, designated a Ramsar Site in 2013, covers about 507 hectares in Harare’s western suburbs. The wetland is regarded as ecologically significant, acting as a natural reservoir during the rainy season and feeding water into the Marimba River system, which links to Lake Chivero, Harare’s main water source.

Harare’s water utility has previously described the wetland as a natural pre-treatment system that helps filter pollutants before water reaches the Cleveland Dam catchment, while also reducing flood risk for downstream suburbs including Mufakose and Budiriro.

Environmental groups have also highlighted the wetland’s biodiversity. BirdLife Zimbabwe records rare grassland bird species at Monavale, including the striped crake and the dwarf bittern.

The site has been contested for years by developers despite its protected status. In 2021, the Supreme Court halted a 121-cluster-house project on part of the same wetland system, ruling that the precautionary principle should prevail over a developer’s property rights.

During this year’s standoff, the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), through director Reuben Akili, criticised construction activity on a Ramsar site. The Environmental Management Agency also moved to suspend the works, though residents reported that equipment returned to the area during the dispute.

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Lawyer Doug Coltart, who represented activists opposing the project, described the halt as a notable outcome for environmental accountability.

For residents who have monitored repeated incursions at Monavale, the withdrawal of machinery and the MP’s written apology were seen as confirmation that sustained public pressure was decisive in stopping the works.

Government officials have indicated alternative land will be identified for the MPs who were linked to the planned stands, but the decision to abandon Monavale leaves broader questions about how protected wetlands are monitored and safeguarded before development activity begins.

For now, the wetland remains undeveloped, with campaigners insisting that enforcement of environmental laws and Zimbabwe’s Ramsar obligations should prevent future attempts to build on Monavale and other wetlands.

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