Villagers forced to share drinking water with animals

Another villager, Mr Samuel Muleya, echoed Mr Mbedzi’s sentiments and called on Government to address the water crisis.

“Most of our boreholes are not functioning forcing a majority of the villagers to fetch water from the local dam for domestic use while others walk long distances to neighbouring villages in search of the precious liquid. We are appealing to Government and NGOs to help rehabilitate the boreholes,” he said.

Local councillor Enock Mbedzi said they have since approached some partners over the issue.

“We are also appealing to the District Development Fund and NGOs to drill more boreholes because the existing ones are no longer functioning properly resulting in water shortages as both livestock and people scramble for  water.

“We hope the problem will soon be addressed as we have engaged some partners to help us rehabilitate the boreholes,” he said.

Mr Ndou said most water sources had dried up as a result of the drought. Beitbridge is among the worst affected districts in the country.

Villagers also expressed concern over rampant smuggling of stolen animals into neighbouring countries.

Mr Anderson Nguluvhe, a Tshitulipasi cattle farmer, said organised cattle rustling syndicates were stealing and smuggling villagers’ livestock into South Africa and Mozambique.

“We are worried about the upsurge in stocktheft cases here. Cattle are being stolen and smuggled into either Mozambique through the Sengwe Corridor or into South Africa via Madimbo Corridor,” he said.

Mr Nguluvhe said he recently lost seven cattle to stock thieves, two of which were later recovered at a neighbouring village in South Africa. The latest development prompted Zimbabwean and South African farmers living in areas along the Limpopo River to form a joint anti-stock committee to fight organised cross-border stock theft activities.

The vice chairperson of the Ipfi Lavho Ramadanga (The Voice of Farmers) committee, Mr Frank Nguluvhe, said the move to form the committee was necessitated by a sharp increase in cross-border stock theft activities occurring along the Madimbo and Sengwe Corridors.

“The stolen animals are smuggled between the two countries while others find their way to Mozambique through the Sengwe Corridor. We have since established that the syndicates work with South Africans who also steal cattle in their country,” he said.

In South Africa, the syndicate is particularly active in the Tshenzhelani, Masisi and Sigonde areas along the Limpopo River near the Kruger National Park while in Zimbabwe the most affected areas include Tshikwalakwala, Tshitulipasi, Tshipise and surrounding areas.

Mr Nguluvhe said the committee has since helped several farmers recover their stolen livestock. Cattle ranching is the main economic activity for villagers in Beitbridge District.