03 Mar 2021

 Local butchery owners have been urged to follow the right procedure prior to selling meat to the members of the public.

Speaking in an interview, March 1, Sehithwa Police station commander, Superintendent Nshaki Mabophiwa was worried that some butchery owners continued to ignore the regulations and sold uninspected meat to consumers.

He said uninspected meat was suspected to be linked with stock theft which was rampant in his policing area. 

Supt Mabophiwa also cautioned that uninspected meat posed health risks to consumers. 

He however acknowledged recent efforts by the police in collaboration with other law enforcement officers who embarked on an inspection exercise to check if butchery owners followed procedures when purchasing meat.

Supt. Mabophiwa observed that those who were checked during the exercise were found to be compliant, adding that there were still reports that some butchery owners bought illegally slaughtered cattle.  

Reports, he said indicated that culprits had found a lucrative market in Maun.

Supt. Mabophiwa said stock theft cases in his jurisdiction were worrisome, noting that in 2020 they recorded 41 cases as compared to 20 cases in 2019.

 Meanwhile Supt Mabophiwa said they recently received information that some men were spotted slaughtering a cow in the bush at Tsokung cattle post in the outskirt of Sehithwa. 

“The police received a tipoff around 0200 in the early hours of Sunday and a team of officers rushed to the scene where upon arrival they saw some men running away,” he explained.

Supt. Mabophiwa said the team found the cow already slaughtered and half of it loaded on a van while the other part was still on the ground. 

The police, he said impounded the carcass and the vehicle while investigations continued.

He thanked the Sehithwa community and other farmers committees for joining hands with the police to curb theft.

Meanwhile, Supt. Mabophiwa said nine people were charged money not exceeding P500 for illegal fishing at Lake Ngami. 

The suspects, he said were coming as afar as Dukwi, Shakawe and Etsha villages and they were fishing for commercial purposes. Ends