Harare residents appeal to Mnangagwa to halt Glen Lorne housing development on wetland
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More than 452 Glen Lorne residents in Harare have appealed to President Mnangagwa to stop a housing development on environmentally sensitive land until it is independently assessed.
More than 452 Glen Lorne residents in Harare have appealed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to intervene in a proposed housing development on Lytham Road, warning that continued construction on environmentally sensitive land could threaten the area's wetland, waterways and long-term water security.
The residents have formally objected to development on Stand 4717 and are demanding that all works be halted until the project's environmental and legal implications are independently established. Their concerns include the clearing of vegetation, earthworks, boreholes, waterways, and reported changes to a dam and watercourse connected to the Glen Lorne wetland, which plays a role in the local water system.
In an urgent appeal addressed to the presidency, ministers, the City of Harare, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and councillors, they are calling for an immediate stop to further works, an independent inspection of the site and an investigation into the reported alteration of the dam or watercourse.
The residents have separately written to National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe, asking him to inspect the land himself rather than rely only on officials' reports. They have also urged Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume to intervene, arguing that whatever the competing explanations over the project, the development is taking place within the city under the municipality's watch.
The residents said they had written letters, attended meetings, approached authorities and followed available processes, yet the land continued to be cleared, and warned that the issue had become bigger than a disagreement over a housing project.