In
a
joint
statement,
the
Conservation
Society
of
Monavale
(COSMO),
Sherwood
Golf
Club
&
Community
Hub,
and
Concerned
Residents
of
Monavale
&
Meyrick
Park
said
the
work
was
being
carried
out
illegally,
without
valid
permits
from
the
City
of
Harare
or
the
Environmental
Management
Agency
(EMA).
Reads
the
statement:
“EMA
responded
swiftly
(when
residents
reported)
and
issued
the
developer,
one
Mr
Tiripano,
reportedly
of
TripTrans,
with
a
fine
for
violating
section
97(2)
of
the
Environmental
Management
Act.“Undeterred,
the
developer
continued
grading
the
wetland
on
Saturday
October
4,
2025.
The
matter
was
reported
to
the
police,
leading
to
the
arrest
of
two
persons
working
for
the
developer
who
were
later
released.”
Residents
say
the
new
development
comes
amid
an
ongoing
land
ownership
dispute,
with
around
11
hectares
of
the
Monavale
Wetland
Ramsar
Site
reportedly
acquired
by
Cablemail
(Pvt)
Ltd.
Dorothy
Wakeling,
a
Monavale
resident
and
member
of
the
local
Conservation
Society,
described
the
wetland
destruction
as
utterly
devastating,
and
said
it
contradicts
both
city
policies
and
national
laws.
Wetlands
are
crucial
to
the
water
cycle,
helping
recharge
underground
aquifers,
naturally
purifying
water,
and
reducing
surface
runoff,
which
is
a
major
cause
of
flooding.
Said
Wakeling:
“This
graded
area
of
wetland
must
be
retrieved
and
then
it
can
be
restored
for
water
provisioning
for
all.“The
policy
of
the
City
of
Harare
is
densification.
Where
will
the
extra
water
come
from
when
the
wetlands
have
gone?”
Briggs
Bomba,
proprietor
of
Sherwood
Golf
Club,
said
the
community
was
deeply
disappointed
by
the
blatant
seizure
of
communal
land
by
land
barons. Said
Bomba:
“We
have
been
at
the
forefront
of
resisting
illegal
land
invasion
in
the
surrounding
area
—
including
attempts
by
land
barons
to
encroach
onto
the
golf
course
and
wetland
spaces.“We
call
on
the
whole
community
to
join
the
fight
for
the
preservation
of
the
Monavale
Wetland
ecosystem,
which
forms
part
of
our
shared
ecological
heritage
of
Harare.”