HARARE – The continued operation of Longcheng Plaza, a large shopping mall built on a wetland in Harare, stands as a prominent symbol of Zimbabwe’s ongoing struggle to enforce its environmental protection laws, Nehanda Radio can report.
As Zimbabwe prepares to host the COP15 Ramsar Convention meeting in Victoria Falls from July 23 to 31, 2025, the international spotlight will likely be on the nation’s commitment to wetland conservation.
‘Ramsar COP15’ is shorthand for ‘the 15th meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Wetlands’.
Members of Parliament this week debated an urgent motion to impose a moratorium on further wetland allocations, citing long standing concerns about unchecked development.
Completed in late 2013 on a gazetted wetland along the Harare-Bulawayo highway, Longcheng Plaza became a controversial development from its inception.
Despite its location on what is legally considered a protected ecosystem, and opposition from environmental groups, the commercial complex proceeded with construction.
In a 2018 report, Steady Kangata, then environmental education and publicity manager at the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), confirmed the mall lacked proper environmental certification, deeming its development illegal.
But the Chinese developers faced no penalties at the time, a situation that has appeared to persist in Zimbabwe. While the mall’s management asserted in 2018 that “all due processes” were observed, environmentalists continued to point to it as a prime example of lax enforcement.
This historical context highlights a critical issue brought before Parliament this week by Harare East legislator Kiven Mutimbanyoka.
During a motion calling for a nationwide moratorium on wetland allocations, he specifically cited Longcheng Plaza as “one of the most grueling examples of wetlands destruction in Harare.”
He argued that the failure to halt its development set “a dangerous precedent, demonstrating that even illegally protected wetlands could be sacrificed for commercial gain.”
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Old skool masters at Food Nest tonightMar 29, 20198,229Windmill CEO up for raping, impregnating step daughterFeb 28, 201822,117Govt probes flooded Borrowdale properties’ legalityFeb 7, 2017274Borrowdale floods saga takes new twistFeb 1, 2017367
Old skool masters at Food Nest tonightMar 29, 20198,229
Old skool masters at Food Nest tonightMar 29, 20198,229
Source: Nehandaradio
