CATTLE COME BACK! Caretaker cries foul as stock theft charge bites

Mthokozisi Ncube

A FORT Rixon man has found himself in the dock after cattle he once cared for mysteriously wandered back to his homestead, a twist that has now landed him facing a serious stock theft charge.

Saxon Sibanda (53) appeared before the Bulawayo magistrates’ court after police allegedly recovered one of three missing cattle at his homestead in Pioneer Village, Fort Rixon, months after the animals disappeared from a nearby farm.

Sibanda is charged with stock theft under Section 114(2) (a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. He denies the allegations, insisting the cattle simply returned to the place they had known for years.

In court Sibanda said he had looked after the complainant’s cattle for nearly eight years under a neighbourly arrangement.

“I was the one taking care of those cattle, even during droughts,” he said. “When they wandered, they always came back to my place.”

According to Sibanda, the arrangement ended in February 2025 when the owner collected the female cows. He claims no proper handover was done and no updates were given on the animals.

“When one of the bulls came back without its tag, I kept it the way we used to. I did not steal anything,” he said.

Court papers paint a different picture.
The complainant, Morgan Moyo (53) of Emganwini, Bulawayo, told police that three of his cattle went missing in September 2025 while grazing at Nelliesville Farm in Fort Rixon. The animals included a brown ox, an iganu cow without horns and a brown cow with white patches on the stomach.

After searching the bush with no success, Moyo reported the matter to ZRP Fort Rixon on 28 September 2025.

The case went cold until mid-November when Moyo’s domestic worker allegedly spotted one of the missing cattle at Sibanda’s homestead. Police later accompanied Moyo to the homestead, where he identified a brown ox.

Police allege the ox still had its ear marks and brand but its ear tag and bell had been removed, with the bell allegedly found on another animal.

Sibanda was arrested on the spot and later released on bail. He told the court he suffers from asthma and cannot afford legal representation.

In his warned and cautioned statement, Sibanda maintained his innocence, saying the cattle returned on their own.

Moyo told the court the incident caused him financial loss and emotional distress, valuing the missing cattle at US$1 200. Two animals are still unaccounted for.

The matter was remanded to 26 January 2026.