17 Feb 2026

Minister for State President, Defence and Security, Mr Moeti Mohwasa has told Parliament that 350 cattle were rustled from Botswana through Namibia into Zambia along the border covering the Okavango east constituency between 2022 and 2025. 

Answering a question in Parliament on Monday, Mr Mohwasa indicated that the intelligence and arrests made revealed that foreign nationals were mostly responsible for the rustling. 

He said 83 cattle were recovered and 82 were identified by their owners and auctioned after their cases were completed while one was still awaiting to be identified and in police custody. 

The minister said nine culprits were arrested and eight of them were charged while one was not prosecuted as there was insufficient evidence. 

He said to ensure the security of the area and to protect property, the Botswana police in conjunction with Botswana Defense Force conducted regular patrols in the area. 

Mr Mohwasa further said the key strategy to curb cross border theft was to strengthen cooperation of law enforcement and communities across borders, adding that five chiefs from Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa would, on February 24-26, meet to deliberate on strategies to curb cross border crime. 

The minister was answering a question from Okavango East MP, Mr Gabotsholwe Disho who had wanted to know the number of animals stolen and taken across the border from his constituency in the last four years and whether government had intelligence indicating who was responsible. 

Mr Disho had also wanted to know the number of cattle being recovered and where they were secured as well as the number of culprits being arrested and successfully prosecuted during the period. ENDS