BCC battle illegal environmental activities

The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has intensified efforts to clamp down on illegal gold mining, sand poaching, and firewood theft-activities that are wreaking havoc on the environment and jeopardising the city's already strained water supply.

Rampant illegal mining, particularly within and around critical catchment areas such as Umzingwane, has been identified as a major contributor to land degradation and siltation of supply dams including Ncema and Insiza. The city's environmental watchdogs say these activities are accelerating silt build-up in reservoirs that provide water to Bulawayo's nearly 700,000 residents.

"The situation is alarming," said Bulawayo Mayor Councillor David Coltart. "These illegal activities are not only scarring the land but are actively sabotaging our water infrastructure. Blocked streams and deep gullies in our dam catchments are worsening an already dire water crisis."

From January to March this year, BCC mounted 281 patrols targeting illegal operations within supply dam zones. In April alone, 83 patrols focused on the Umzingwane catchment resulted in the arrest of 12 illegal gold panners. The suspects were handed over to the Esigodini Magistrate's Court, and 45 tools-including three metal detectors-were confiscated.

The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has warned that the use of metal detectors by illegal panners is accelerating land degradation. Once gold is located, large swathes of land are dug up indiscriminately, leaving behind gaping pits and altered landscapes.

Joint patrols by city rangers and Esigodini police have netted a total of 16 gold panners since the start of the year, according to council minutes.

Illegal mining has also encroached into residential areas like Queenspark, Killarney, and Mqabuko Heights. In these suburbs, 51 patrols conducted in April led to a noticeable decline in panning activity, though the council cautioned that the situation remains volatile.

The city is also grappling with a surge in sand poaching, particularly in peri-urban zones such as St Peters. Council rangers recently impounded five trucks, two wheelbarrows, and over 100 tools used in sand extraction operations. Thirty-seven tickets were issued for environmental and municipal by-law violations, 28 of which were paid, raising US$2,175. The remaining nine tickets, valued at US$1,698, are still outstanding.

Meanwhile, firewood poaching has surged in areas like Emakhandeni, New Lobengula, and Luveve, where residents are resorting to cutting down trees for cooking fuel amid prolonged load shedding caused by damaged electricity infrastructure.

"Firewood demand has spiked due to power outages, and this has turned firewood poaching into a major environmental concern," the council reported. In recent operations, five scotch carts and two wheelbarrows were impounded, and offenders were charged for breaching environmental by-laws.

Adding to the city's woes, BCC is facing challenges in managing stray donkeys that have become a nuisance in suburbs bordering peri-urban areas. The city's land inspectorate says it is unable to respond effectively due to logistical challenges, with a key utility vehicle still under repair.

"The lands inspectorate is highly incapacitated... a BCC ranger utility truck is still under repair," reads a section of the minutes.

As Bulawayo battles on multiple environmental fronts, city officials are calling for greater collaboration with law enforcement, communities, and government agencies to address what they describe as a "creeping crisis" that threatens both urban sustainability and water security.

"We must treat this as an emergency," said Mayor Coltart. "If we lose our catchments, we lose our future."