adminA number of residents alleged that the rangers could be working in cahoots with officials at the local authority’s Revenue Hall.
They said in some cases, a stamped official warning letter from the Revenue Hall would be sent to residents telling them that they had been implicated by other residents or council’s investigations in illegal dumping activities.
The residents said council rangers would then appear a few days later with suspicious looking tickets ranging between $50 and $300 for the alleged offences.
Ironically, in a meeting over illegal refuse dumping early this year, Bulawayo councillors bemoaned the fact that council could not charge offenders more than $20 for illegal dumping.
Residents said council needed to act on the “extortions”.
“Two weeks ago, I was issued with a ticket for $200 over a dumping case that I did not know about. The rangers, however, left their contact details and said if I phoned them before they officially notified authorities that they had issued the ticket, the money could be reduced. I called them and I paid $20 instead,” said a Pumula South resident who declined to be named.
The resident said she did not get a receipt for the payment.
Another resident from Khumalo suburb, Mrs Priscilla Dube, said she was shocked to get a warning that she should stop dumping rubble in the suburb.
“I am not doing any construction, so I do not know where the allegation is coming from. The warning was left together with a notice that I had been fined $300 for the offence. The rangers who delivered the notice left a phone number (number withheld), and said I should urgently call them to discuss the fine,” said the angry Mrs Dube.
She said if it was a scam by council employees, she was prepared to produce the letters as evidence and testify in the case.
“Imagine, at a time when everyone is struggling to pay bills, someone has the audacity to just conjure up an expense of $300 out of nothing. I will never pay that fine or call the rangers. This is extortion. I am also prepared to go to court over the matter,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Simon Phiri of Cowdray Park, said he suspected that the rangers were working with officials at the revenue hall. “They have to have a connection with someone in the offices because every time a warning is issued, they follow up with a ticket on the same day or within 48 hours. How do they know that someone has been warned, unless they get tips from the offices? They could also be working with officials to generate the false reports and later rip off residents,” said Mr Phiri, who claimed that he paid $10 to get a $200 ticket cancelled.
A number of residents said they had gone to the revenue hall to complain over the issue last week and council officials assured them that investigations into the allegations were underway.
A comment could not be obtained from council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu as she had not responded to questions that were sent to her on Wednesday, regarding the issue.
Online Reporter