18 May 2014

The headman of records at Maitengwe in the Tutume Sub-district, Kgosi Mbuso Vavani, has expressed concerns about escalating cases of stock theft in the area.

In an interview recently, Kgosi Vavani said stock theft had become an uncontrollable challenge as they continued to receive complaints from residents that their cattle, sheep, goats, and donkeys had been stolen.

He added that the perpetrators were a few people who worked in cahoots with Zimbabweans. Kgosi Vavani said the stock thieves had cut the boundary fence that separated Botswana and Zimbabwe to drive the stolen livestock across the border into that country.

“These people are stealing our livestock at an alarming rate. It’s difficult to trace the stolen animals once they have crossed the border into Zimbabwe,” he said.

He added that on their patrols, they had always come across foot prints of the perpetrators as they herded the animals across the border. He further said the perpetrators were able to evade the law because they were assisted by some Batswana who lived within the community.

Kgosi Vavani also revealed that as village elders, they had taken steps to caution members of the community about increasing incidents of stock theft and how best they could combat it. He however admitted that their efforts had not borne any positive results as the culprits were still stealing people’s livestock.

“The fact that the border fence between Zimbabwe and Botswana has been damaged is a challenge on its own, it makes it difficult to control the movement of livestock,” he said.

He also laid the blame on some farmers who do not brand their calves and leave them unattended to, which makes them vulnerable to theft.

He further encouraged the community to assist the police to combat stock theft and report all suspicious individuals. ENDS