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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) says it will soon reduce the number of security guards popularly known as omakokoba by erecting palisade fencing and employing other technological mechanisms at its properties.

The BCC Human Capital director, Mr Makhosi Tshalebwa, last week told residents and stakeholders during a meeting that they were working on reducing staff costs.

“We are trying to reduce our staff costs, we are trying to reduce the numbers by actually erecting palisade fencing in most of our properties so that we release the security guards from those installations and we are also trying to fit the rapid response systems in most of our properties so that we do replace security guards in those installations,” said Mr Tshalebwa.

He dismissed claims by some residents that council was overstaffed saying recruitment was frozen in 2010 and there are about 2 000 posts which are vacant.

Mr Tshalebwa refuted allegations made by a resident at the meeting that council has 15 directors and explained that there were six departments and six directors only.

“When we talk of issues of over staffing or under staffing we are talking about numbers. You can’t qualify overstaffing or understaffing without making a comparison of figures. In terms of the authorised establishment that we need, we need 5 070 but since 2010 when recruitment in local authorities was suspended, we are sitting at 3 200 at the moment but it’s not that we are not doing anything to try and reduce our staff costs,” he said.

—.@AuxiliaK