Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya
Beitbridge Bureau
THE Beitbridge community came together to end the scourge of stock theft that has been plaguing the area, with police arresting 12 people on Sunday afternoon.
Among the suspects were six alleged rustlers, five meat buyers and a cab driver from Beitbridge, who have been working together since March last year.
Through a combination of vigilance, cooperation with law enforcement and community-led initiatives, residents seem to be bringing an end to the crime wave that had been hitting local farmers hard.
Goats, donkeys and cattle had become the target for stock thieves, most of them operating between Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The recently arrested gang was reported to have slaughtered at least 41 cattle by police estimates.
Acting police officer commanding Beitbridge District, Superintendent Philisani Ndebele, said the arrests followed a tip-off from concerned members of the public who turned in illegal meat sellers, some of whom sold meat from buckets in markets. The vendors in turn gave police leads to the rustlers.
“We reacted to information from members of the public and arrested meat vendors. They led us to five of the suspects who were in the habit of stealing cattle and supplying them. During further investigations, we arrested another suspect and their transporter,” said Supt Ndebele.
“So far, we have recovered fresh carcasses and skulls of the cattle they had slaughtered at various bushy sites around Beitbridge town. In total, we have carcasses, skulls, and meat from 41 cattle. Some have been positively identified by their owners. We are also calling those with missing or those who reported stock theft to come to the main police station to identify the remains.”
Supt Ndebele said investigations were ongoing to establish if the gang was linked to more reported cases.
He encouraged community members to report all stock theft and provide vital information to assist police in bringing criminals to book.
In a successful operation against another rustling gang of four people had been arrested in connection with the theft of 47 goats in the Shashe area, with 24 recovered in the Tshituripasi area.
“We are working with other line stakeholders to ensure we destroy these syndicates. At the same time, we want to discourage people from perpetuating this crime through buying meat from vendors,” he said.
An anti-stock theft activist from Musane community, Mr Piuson Siziba, said the turning point came when local farmers, traditional leaders, and residents joined forces to form a community-led initiative aimed at combating stock theft.
He said the group, known as the Beitbridge Anti-Stock Theft Committee, was closely working with the police to identify and apprehend thieves.
They acquired motorbikes to enhance patrols across the district to reduce the menacing crime.
“We are happy with the support the community and the police are giving us. Livestock is a major economic activity at household level, hence we have decided to stand up to curb this crime,” he said.
Mr Maxwell Masuku from Mahapa area in Beitbridge West, commended the relations between the police and the community to fight crime.
“It is sad that we have some people creating a ready market for stolen livestock. I am happy that through our efforts we have managed to round up several criminals and we are not stopping,” he said.
“I want to encourage people to join such community policing forums at the ward level so that we fight crime with one vision.”
