BULAWAYO City Council is planning to open a base for its rangers and municipal police at the city’s water catchment areas located in Matabeleland South province to curb illegal gold panning and sand poaching.
Gold panners are threatening the city’s water sources by not only causing siltation, but also polluting dams.
The rangers and police have previously conducted joint patrols, arrested the panners and sand poachers and confiscated their tools.
Council says the patrols and raids are doing little to stop illegal gold panners and sand poachers from returning to base, forcing authorities to entertain ideas of having a permanent police base near the water catchment areas.
According to a report by council’s housing and community services department, the plan has not been executed because of inadequate staff and patrol vehicles.
“Joint patrols in the water catchment areas were conducted around Umzingwane, Upper and Lower Ncema dams,” the report read.
“During these patrols two illegal gold panners were arrested.
“Also, a total of 73 hand tools were seized from illegal gold panners.”
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The department said 80 surveillance patrols were conducted bringing the cumulative total for January and February to 150.
A number of sand poachers and wood harvesters were also arrested and their equipment confiscated.
"Due to load shedding, wood poaching had escalated to a high level,” the minutes read.
“The total number of tools confiscated at Greater Bulawayo was 59.
"Routine patrols were also conducted mostly in the Peri-urban areas where nine (9) trucks were impounded for illegal sand extraction.”
Last year, former Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) commander, Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe ordered a crackdown against illegal settlers and gold panners.
Sanyatwe expressed concerns against the encroachment into the ZNA Bulawayo District cantonment and training areas by the sand poachers and gold panners.
The panners have also encroached into the National University of Science and Technology premises.
In 2017, more than 200 gold panners invaded Bulawayo’s Matsheumhlope suburb, operating about 20 metres from residential homes.
