River pollution poses a major threat to Zimbabwe’s natural water courses, especially those that pass through urban
centres. This study examines the effectiveness of the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) in remediating the Shagashe
River, which has been heavily polluted by raw sewage from Masvingo City’s sewage treatment works. It is based on
surveys, which were conducted between August and October 2012 as well as data from the Environmental Management
Agency (EMA), a watch dog of Zimbabwe’s environment. Although laboratory experiments indicate that the weed is an
effective agent of wastewater bioremediation, results from this survey show that under natural conditions this may not be
the case probably due to the continuous flow of water downstream, which does not provide the weed with adequate
contact time for bioremediation. For this reason, the weed does not provide a remedy for the polluted river. The paper
suggests alternative solutions for the problem of river pollution in the city so that sustainable development (SD) can be
achieved.