Council accused of double standards over wetlands

07 Jan, 2022 - 00:01 0 Views
Council accused of double standards over wetlands Mabvuku and Tafara residents assess their destroyed maize crop on a wetland in the area in this file picture.

Suburban

Suburban Reporter 

HARARE residents have roundly condemned the City of Harare for double standards by rushing to slash maize grown on wetlands by the poor while ignoring or regularising mansions built on wetlands by the rich.

In reactions to the announcement by acting town clerk Engineer Phakamile Mabhena Moyo that council will be sending municipal police to slash the maize grown on wetlands and arrest and detain the growers from next week Monday, January 10, 2022, residents the City of Harare is always quick to deal with the poor masses while leaving the rich and powerful to do as they please.

Residents wondered what, between growing maize on a wetland and building on a wetland, is more damaging to the environment.

“Kuvaka paWetland nekurima pawetland chikuru ndechipi. (Building on a wetland and cultivating on a more wetland, what is more damaging? Always chasing after small fish. Real culprits going scot free,’ said a resident of Ward 41. 

Another Ward 41 resident added: “Let them mow down Long Chen Plaza first and all other buildings they allowed to be constructed in wetlands. They always rush for the weak ones, sad.”

Residents also wondered where the City of Harare was suddenly getting the manpower, transport and equipment to slash maize when they always plead shortage of refuse trucks to collect garbage.

“Right now some road intersections have become a danger to motorists because of overgrown grass but CoH (City of Harare) has manpower and equipment kunobhemba chibage mumakuvi (to slash maize in wetlands). Ngavaite serious. (They must give us some seriousness),” said a resident of Marlborough.

Others demanded that council should regularise the maize on the wetlands in the same way it plans to regularise houses and buildings built on wetlands.

“Why want to enforce that now when people’s maize is growing. They have been planting there for years and council did nothing about it and if they want to do something now let people harvest their maize at the right time not to want to cut it down. This has to be a gradual process. This is peoples food source.You can’t just go cut it down because of a law you never bothered to enforce for years and years. Most of those places you will find it’s women working with their children. They you have put in lots of time , labour , inputs and they won’t have that fine money. Let’s start with slashing overgrown grass not food,” argued a resident.

In Greendale some residents were devastated that their maize crop was about to be slashed while others wondered why council does not apply the same rules to all ratepayers.

“When its poor people growing maize for survival CoH knows importance of wetlands, but when it’s mbingas (the rich) building houses; the same CoH sells happily and forgets why wetlands exist!  CoH why not observe one rule for all ratepayers,” observed a Greendale resident.

Greendale residents said grading of roads had started on the wetland near Willies Dam in the suburb in preparation for the building of houses but council will not act against the developers.

On Wednesday, acting Harare town clerk Engineer Phakamile Mabhena Moyo said people caught cultivating on wetlands across Harare will be fined $25 000 on the spot.

Eng Moyo said council had noted with great concern the number of people cultivating on wetlands in different parts of the city.

Some residents have been growing maize on wetlands, greenways and open spaces in Ashdown Park and Mabelreign, Borrowdale, Highlands, Gun Hill, Vainona, Mt Pleasant, Greendale and Chisipite among other suburbs. 

Pannar demonstration plot

The destruction of wetlands has been identified as one of the major factors causing water shortages in the city.

Eng Moyo said the acting mayor Councillor Stewart Mutizwa has directed the municipal police to dispatch teams starting on Monday, January 10 to slash all crops on wetlands and arrest those growing the crops.

“The public is hereby reminded that it is illegal to cultivate crops on wetlands according to Section 20:27 of the Environmental Management Act,” Eng Moyo said.

“Further, Section 73 of the Constitution states that everyone has environmental rights and that we have the right to protection of the environment for the benefit of future generations. Section 73(b) specifically highlights that we must all work to prevent ecological degradation and promote conservation.”

Eng Moyo said wetlands are a source of freshwater and council and residents must promote actions to restore them and stop their loss through illegal activities.

He said Harare is facing a serious and growing fresh water crisis that threatens people and the city at large. 

“Cultivation of crops in the prohibited areas is tantamount to destroying the ecosystem that we depend on. Wetlands are also vital as they are natural carbon sinks and help with controlling our overall carbon footprint. They also help to recharge our water table and so are a good source of water. 

“In addition to all this, one wetland can be a habitat for hundreds of species at a time, some of which can even have medicinal value. It is our mandate to protect our wetlands.  Therefore, the Mayor has directed the city council police department to dispatch teams starting on the 10th of January,” Eng Moyo said. 

Last year, Marlborough residents pleaded with the council to stop cultivation on Marlborough vlei saying it was greatly impacting on the ecological functions of the wetland.

The residents represented by the Marlborough Environmental Action Group (MEAG) demanded that council put to a halt agricultural practices on the wetland.

Pannar Seeds was last year fined ZWL$60 000 by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for growing maize on a demonstration plot on a wetland along Harare Drive, prompting some residents to question whether the City of Harare had now taken over the functions of EMA.

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