Emmanuel Chitsika
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Masvingo has reiterated its commitment to nab cattle rustlers who are on the prowl, rustling and deboning cattle, further reducing the national herd which has been affected by January disease.
The call was made by Assistant Commissioner Fredrick Mbengwa (on behalf of Officer Commanding Masvingo Province Commissioner David Mahoya) when he addressed the media during an engagement organised by the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) at Chevron hotel in Masvingo last week.
“We are really at pains looking at the devastation that has been inflicted on our national herd by diseases like January disease and Foot and Mouth and now this deboning thing. “In Masvingo province we have had reports of cattle theft in Gutu in places like Bhasera. We will arrest all those who do deboning without fear or favour. As part of ways of trying to curb the thefts, we have engaged local leadership like chiefs and village heads where we formed committees as a way of trying to find out who the perpetrators are and that is the gap we hope the committees would help close,” said Ass Com Mbengwa.
He appealed to the media to provide information if they come across any from their sources as it is helpful in the fight against crime.
“Like I have earlier said it has so far been difficult that during those wee hours of the day where not all people are allowed to move around serve for the police, there are some people who commit such crimes. We are appealing to the media because you have a lot of sources of information which can help you give us something tangible on the crime. We don’t necessarily need names of people, we just need to know where the deboning is likely or has been done and that will help lead us to the bottom of the matter.
“For us to destroy this menace, we need to destroy the market as well. It is really a cause for concern for ZRP. As leaders of the hierarchy, we sometimes run out of words in case we are asked by our superiors on issues to do with deboning.
“With deboning, it’s different from normal stock theft in the sense that it shows a well-organised criminal activity with ready markets which from reliable sources are sausage, mincemeat makers as well as meat pie processors.
“What happens is the criminals kill the beast, debone it and by early morning, the thieves would be in Harare, Bulawayo or even here in Masvingo because the destination is not yet known for now. We haven’t received any information on the destination but the above-mentioned categories of business people are likely the ones fuelling the thefts and the means of transporting are either buckets like has been the case with drug traffickers. They use the routes which we are yet to identify as law enforcement agents,” he added.
Cases of deboning (where thieves would kill beasts and strip away steak, leaving offals and bones) have been recorded in the province especially in Gutu and in Midlands province as well.
