Online Reporter
IF Agreement Bhebhe and Kepaletso Nyathi thought they had found an easy meal, they probably did not expect the main course to come with its own identification documents.
The two 34-year-old men from Guyu, Matabeleland South province, will now spend the next nine years behind bars for their seemingly insatiable appetite for meat.
Well, the misfortune for our two geniuses began when they came across a brown cow that had wandered across the Zimbabwe-Botswana border into the Shashe grazing lands.
On May 31, 2026, the duo — Bhebhe of Kafusi Dam village and Nyathi of Kafusi Dip village — allegedly teamed up, slaughtered the stray animal and divided the carcass between themselves.
Unfortunately for them, the cow was not exactly anonymous.
It carried a Botswana brand mark — ADZ5 — and ear-tag number BW19833411.
Following a tip-off, police investigated the case and recovered the brown hide from Nyathi. And there it was: the Botswana brand mark and ear tag, still intact.
Police also recovered a portion of the meat from Bhebhe.
At that point, the investigation crossed an international border of its own.
A member of the Botswana Police Service was invited to assist and confirmed that the brand mark and ear-tag code belonged to a Botswana national.
So, while the cow had crossed the border without a passport, it had apparently brought something almost as useful — its identity card.
The stolen beast was valued at US$500.
The case is a reminder that stock theft remains a serious criminal offence, particularly along Zimbabwe’s borders, where livestock can move between countries.
It is also a lesson in the importance of community tip-offs, police investigations and cross-border cooperation.
For Bhebhe and Nyathi, however, there is probably one detail they will remember for a very long time when it comes to a bovine meal: If you are going to eat the evidence, at least remove the identifying evidence first.
