admin
Daniel Chigunwe Herald Correspondent
Farmers in Mazowe District, Mashonaland Central Province, are losing sleep following a rise in cases of stock theft which has seen more than 20 cows de-boned in the past two months alone
Ceaser Mine, Mapere, Musonedi and Cranham in Mazowe West are some of the areas mainly affected by rustlers who are de-boning the stolen cattle in the bush suspected for selling in butchers.
According to a farmer Mr Chanda Chizanga of Witchhood Farm, Ceaser Mine, the latest incident was on 23 December, in which rustlers pounced on a kraal and killed two cattle.
“As farmers, we are in trouble with thieves who are targeting cattle from this area and just a few days before Christmas we had an incident in which two cows were killed and de-boned in the nearby bush, the people are leaving their clothes and knives at the scenes.
“Since November alone we have lost about 24 cows to these thieves which has prompted us to take turns sleeping at the kraals where we are conducting night of watches against these thieves and making patrols,” said Mr Chanda.
While no suspect has been arrested in connection with the case, Ward 4 Councillor Mr Ernest Chipiri confirmed the crisis saying the rustlers were probably working with insiders.
“It is a difficult time for our farmers who are losing their livestock to these people and this ward has been the hardest hit area and we suspect that some among us could be involved in these syndicates.
“We have however, come up with measures including collective penning which means we have one herd and farmers take turns in guarding during the night as well as conducting patrols, at the same time we are mounting roadblocks during the night to ensure that we know who comes in our area,” said Clr Chipiri.
Meanwhile, police are intensifying the fight against cattle rustling in the area with provincial police spokesperson Inspector Milton Mundembe confirming that the efforts were proving fruitful in safeguarding lives and properties of the affected farmers.
“We confirm the cases of cattle de-boning in these areas and as police, we are implementing several measures that empower the community in policing issues, this is being done through the formation of Village Anti-Stock Theft Liaison Committees.
“Previously we used to have these committees at ward level but now we descending to villages, it is critical that we partner with communities in fighting crime so these units are made up of police constabularies and members of the society and since we have set up these we have not received any reports in the past days.”
Insp Mundembe said since the wave began, there has been a case of cattle de-boning reported every week.
“Our Officer Commanding Province was scheduled to go to the affected area of Ceaser Mine this Friday to address this issue, which we have postponed due to the incessant rains, we want to ensure that lives and properties are safe in the affected areas as well as the whole province.
Online Reporter