BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) recently collected over US$2 000 in environmental offences amid concerns over the rise in cases of gold panning and sand poaching in the city’s water catchment areas.
This is revealed in the council’s latest minutes on Parks section report in which housing and community services director Dictor Khumalo reported the violations for the month of April.
On land degradation in water catchment areas, the council noted that 83 surveillance patrols were conducted during the month, bringing the cumulative total to 281 between January and March this year.
“The surveillance patrols were jointly conducted by BCC rangers and Esigodini police. Twelve illegal gold panners were arrested and handed over to Esigodini courts for prosecution. This brought the total number since January to date to 16,” the minutes read.
“During these operations, a total of 45 tools, including three detector machines, were confiscated and handed over to Esigodini police as exhibits.”
The council said in the Greater Bulawayo areas, routine patrols and extended patrols were conducted around the city to curb illegal mining activities, sand poaching and wood harvesting.
“One hundred and ten tools, including five sand poaching trucks, were confiscated for flouting environmental regulations. Thirty-seven tickets were issued to the offenders for various offences. Twenty-eight of the 37 tickets had been paid at a sum of US$2 175, 56,” the minutes read.
“Nine tickets were still outstanding with a value of US$1 698,28. Since there was load-shedding, wood poaching had become a major challenge as five scotch carts and two wheelbarrows were impounded for contravening city’s environmental by-laws.
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“Fifty-one surveillance patrols on illegal gold panning were conducted during the course of the month and it was observed by the rangers that there was a great reduction on illegal gold panning activities around the City.”
On the sale of pit sand at the two sites, the council noted that US$420 was collected from 37 trucks that collected sand from the two extraction sites.
The council noted that there were challenges of donkeys which are a menace in the city, especially in suburbs close to the peri-urban areas.
“Lands inspectorate was highly incapacitated to clear these donkeys from the city’s environs due to transport challenges, considering that a rangers’ utility truck was still under repairs at the top workshop,” the report read.
