COMMENT: Members of the public should assist police in curbing stock theft

MEMBERS of the public must work closely with the police to bust a cattle rustling syndicate terrorising farmers in Umguza district, Matabeleland North province.

Yesterday, we reported that a farmer lost 50 head of cattle to the rustlers who have raided his farm on different occasions since the beginning of last year.

This is a serious loss to the farmer and a reversal of his years of investment.

Depending on the breed, a cow ranges from US$400 to as much as US$5 000 or more for a good bull.

Going with the average price, it can be estimated that the farmer has lost US$20 000 and the loss could be even higher depending on the breed of his animals.

Cases of stock theft are rampant across Zimbabwe with rustlers hitting hardest farmers in border areas where they work with cross-border syndicates to steal livestock. On average, between 5 000 and 10 000 cases of livestock theft are reported each year in the country according to the Zimbabwe Republic Police Anti-Stock Theft Unit.

The unit has over the years intensified its campaigns, deployments and community-based initiatives to fight animal theft, which is causing huge losses to farmers and high levels of anxiety in communities that have built their flock over the years.

Members of the public need to complement the police efforts to arrest cattle rustlers.

It is common knowledge that the meat from the stolen cattle makes its way to local butcheries and is sold to unsuspecting customers.
Owners of butcheries should desist from buying meat from cattle rustlers as their actions promote criminal activity.

Not only that, these butcheries pose a serious health risk to the community as they could easily sell meat from cattle suffering from various diseases including anthrax.

We also reported this week that authorities in the Midlands province have raised concerns about cases of anthrax in humans who would have consumed meat from cattle killed by the disease.

The authorities urged members of the public not to consume meat from cows killed by the disease but to destroy the carcasses.
Now, if butcheries buy meat from cattle rustlers, there is no way of telling whether or not the meat is safe for human consumption.

That is why butcheries should all the time get meat from registered entities.

Most of the suspicious meat is delivered to butcheries in the dead of the night and we call upon members of the public to be vigilant and report such activities to the police.