The Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) has welcomed the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife’s move to stop illegal housing construction on Monavale Vlei, a Ramsar-designated wetland protected under international law.
CHRA chairperson David Pasipanodya said on Monday that the intervention showed “leadership”, particularly as Zimbabwe currently holds the presidency of the Ramsar Convention.
“Monavale Wetland sits at the intersection of ecological importance, legal protection, and international commitment,” Pasipanodya said. “Protecting it is not only an environmental imperative but also a matter of upholding the rule of law and maintaining the integrity of global environmental agreements.”
However, CHRA said illegal construction on Monavale Vlei and other wetlands was fuelled by poor coordination between ministries and local authorities, weak urban planning, lax enforcement of environmental laws, and a “culture of impunity”.
Pasipanodya said domestication of the Ramsar Convention into an Act of Parliament — as provided for in Sections 34 and 327 of the Constitution — was “overdue”.
He recommended that the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife push Parliament to approve the Convention and incorporate it into domestic law.
Pasipanodya also called for improved coordination among line ministries, government departments and local authorities on water management, and for stronger enforcement of environmental laws.
The association further urged planners to recognise the Environmental Management Agency’s Gazetted Wetlands Map in all spatial planning.
Monavale Vlei is one of Zimbabwe’s seven Ramsar sites, wetlands deemed to be of international importance under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.
The Ramsar Convention, full name Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat, is an international treaty focused on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.
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