Residents of Ward 14 in Bulilima District are calling for a stronger police presence and improved community policing amid rising cases of stock theft, saying the crime is threatening livelihoods in communities near the Zimbabwe-Botswana border.
The ward, which includes Malanswa, Nswazwi, Malalume and surrounding villages, has recorded several cases of cattle theft in recent months. Residents say police shortages and slow response times have made it difficult to tackle stock theft and other crimes.
Ward 14 councillor Ephraim Moyo said the community had introduced measures to curb cattle theft after several incidents were reported.
He said the ward’s proximity to the border increased the risk of livestock being stolen and taken out of the area.
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“We are next to the border and we have a lot of stock theft and a high rate of crime. Recently we had people who had stolen some cows from us and a few were found near the shops, and others were found by the ramp. We don’t want any cows leaving Ward 14, that’s the agreement we have discussed with residents to control the high rate of stock theft,” said Moyo.
He said the movement of livestock outside agreed grazing hours also made it harder to monitor animals, with some residents returning home late at night.
“Our residents should let out the cows at 6am and they should be back by 6pm, but there are some residents who come back with the cows at 12 midnight. Even here by the shops you will find people who have broken into the shops to steal goods and we tried to put security, but that has still failed,” he said.
Moyo said the shortage of police officers remained one of the community’s biggest challenges, with the distance between villages and the nearest police base delaying responses to reported crimes.
“We also have a shortage of police. The police base is in Madlambudzi, and they gave us one policeman. I remember reporting a case on Wednesday on the theft of cows in Malalume Village, and I had to go to Malalume, and up to now the policeman still hasn’t come,” he said.
He said the community wanted at least four police officers to be deployed to the ward, together with a neighbourhood watch programme to strengthen local security.
“There are people who are saying that they know the people who are taking cows. In Ward 14 we are looking for at least four policemen and also a neighbourhood watch. This will help the people. From Malalume to the police base it is about 15km for me to get there, so one policeman cannot manage,” said Moyo.
Malalume resident Persistence Dube said stock theft had left many families living in fear.
“Stock theft has become a serious challenge in our community because many families depend on cattle for their livelihoods. People are now living in fear because they do not know when their livestock will be stolen.
“We need more support from authorities, including stronger security measures and community involvement, so that we can protect our animals and improve safety in the area,” said Dube.
Responding to the concerns, Matabeleland South police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni said police worked with communities through several crime prevention structures.
He said these included Community Policing Committees, Crime Liaison Committees, Business Against Stock Theft and Village Anti-Stock Theft Committees.
“We don’t normally deploy one policeman at the base, they usually will be two. We also have community policing initiatives and a members watch community which will be from the community and also Crime Liaison Committees, Business Against Stock Theft and the Village Anti-Stock Theft that we will be working with,” said Mguni.
He said police officers stationed at local bases worked closely with community committees, even when one officer was away on duty.
Mguni also said police needed to verify reports of increased stock theft and urged residents to report all cases formally so investigations could be conducted.
“So even though the policeman is alone and the other one has gone to do his duties, he works with the committee that is there as well. So we have to verify what has transpired and since they say there has been a stock theft, has it ever been reported to the police base? Do they report to the police?” he said.
He said tackling stock theft required cooperation between police, village heads, neighbourhood watch committees and local residents.
“If they say stock theft has risen they should have been reported, we do not operate in isolation, we operate with the community. Even with the village heads, they are also responsible for reporting to the police and even those who do neighbourhood watch committees fall under village heads which work with the police and are trained by the police,” he said.
Mguni added that police held regular meetings with community structures to discuss security concerns and increase patrols in areas experiencing higher crime levels.
“We also have meetings that we do with them and we also have an engagement with them. When we do those meetings, that is where we discuss such issues and if it is difficult we take it to the officer in charge because there will be a police base in the area. When there is a high rate of crime, we then have patrols that are done in that area,” he said.
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