Claim: The Bulawayo City Council (BCC) only has five rangers instead of 74 needed to monitor the whole city.
Source: The Chronicle Newspaper
Verdict: The local authority has 29 rangers including its supervisors.
On Monday, October 11, the Chronicle ran an article, https://www.chronicle.co.zw/sand-poachers-degrade-bulawayo-city-only-has-5-rangers-out-of-74-required/ where they mentioned that BCC has only five rangers out of the required 75 hence the continuous land degradation in the hands of sand poachers and those who cut down trees.
“Rampant sand poaching and chopping down of trees is causing environmental degradation in and around Bulawayo amid revelations that the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) only had five rangers instead of 74 needed to monitor the whole city,” reads part of the article.
However in an interview with the local authority’s Public Relations Officer, Nesisa Mpofu, she said BCC has quite a number of rangers even though they don’t reach the maximum of 74.
“Point of correction, we have 14 (rangers) on foot patrol, five on mobile patrol and eight at Ncema making a total of 29 rangers inclusive of supervisors,” Said Mpofu.
Conclusion: The Bulawayo City Council has 29 rangers instead of five as reported by the Chronicle newspaper.
