…as Masvingo records increase in stock theft, decrease in goats, birds
By Bright Zhou
Masvingo police arrested a total of 299 people for stock theft in the province, some of them being deboning cases which was rampant in Gutu and Chatsworth area while 2 550 arrests were made for other stock theft related offences last year (2023) with the province recording a four percent increase in stock theft in the same year.
This was revealed the by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Officer Commanding Masvingo Province (PROPOL) Commissioner Chrispen Charumbira, during an anti-stock theft campaign held in Gutu on March 5, 2024.
“The ZRP is concerned with the current cattle stock theft in the province. Generally, there was a 4 percent increase in stock theft cases during the year 2023 as compared to 2022. There was 11 percent rise in cases involving cattle from 560 cases to 619 cases,” said Charumbira.
He said the province however recorded a slight decrease in cases involving goats and theft of birds.
“Cases involving goats decreased from 191 to 167 realizing a 14 percent decrease. Theft of birds also decreased by 24 percent from 120 cases to 97,” said Charumbira.
In the same breath, the ZRP created the village Anti-Stock Theft Unit with the mandate to fight the scourge of stock theft cases.
National Police Spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the police and villagers should work hand in glove and have regular meetings especially with traditional leaders to overcome stock theft.
“ZRP should have meetings with villagers especially chiefs or village heads once or twice per month to devise ways to decrease stock theft and villagers should get knowledge from the police on how to protect their livestock,” said Nyathi.
Nyathi added that people should make sure they manage and secure their livestock at night during summer time where they will be on free range saying cases rise during this period.
“In summer season people must protect or herd their livestock as this is the time where stock theft increase since it is difficult to herd livestock during this period,” said Nyathi.
He said police should create time for educating villagers on how they can protect their livestock at grazing grounds or kraals as this is crucial in propping the country’s development.
“ZRP should create time with villagers to educate them on how they can protect their livestock in grazing areas or kraals, this is important as livestock rearing and production propel the development of the country,” said Nyathi.
Nyathi also said the village stock theft units must ensure that transportation of livestock for whatever reasons is done during the day and is not allowed to do so at night.
Assistant Commissioner Fredereck Mbengwa said communities should create village anti-stock theft units which can patrol during the night and at business centres where they can see and interrogate new faces or strangers.
“Communities should have village anti-stock theft riot which can patrol during the night and at business centres where they interrogate all strangers or new people,” said Mbengwa.
Mbengwa added that villagers should put bells on cattle for easy identification when heading them as well as increasing security and making sure that they secure them in their pens at night.
Masvingo Provincial Police Spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa added that people should put earmarks on their livestock so that they are easy to track and make sure they immediately report if there is any missing livestock.
“People should report to the nearest police station if there is any livestock missing and make sure they put earmarks on livestock for easy tracking,” said Dhewa.
