Police in Bulawayo have recovered 20 cattle at a feedlot in Douglasdale which were stolen in the Inyathi area.
Some farmers who had lost their cattle to thieves went to the feedlot Tuesday morning and recovered their livestock.
Bulawayo police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube, said the police are closing in on cattle rustlers and have been working with farmers in and around Bulawayo, raising awareness on stock theft.
“We have recovered 20 cattle that were stolen in the Inyathi area and were received at this feedlot,” Insp Ncube said. “As ZRP Bulawayo, we have been conducting campaigns all over the peripheries. All our farmers have been engaged to fight against stock theft.”
“We have agreed that there will be no route left to allow stolen cattle to be smuggled into Bulawayo. This has resulted in several arrests which have been made…”
Insp Ncube said the police were alerted by farmers who saw a truck which had ferried the cattle, had broken down close to Hillside.
“They reported the matter to the police and the police tracked down the driver. The driver then told us that he had delivered the cattle to this feedlot. This morning, one of the farmers identified his Steer, with a personal brand, which had been missing since November 2023.”
The police noted that the thieves, who are still on the run, used fraudulent papers to carry out their transactions.
“We discovered that the clearance papers are fraudulent, written on a piece of paper instead of the proper police Form 392. The papers further purport that the clearance was done in Nyamandlovu but bear a Mbembesi stamp, which does not even belong to the police.”
“This is worrisome because we have carried out campaigns, teaching our farmers about the proper clearance documents. Even the owner of this feedlot has been engaged on several occasions by the Provincial Anti-Stock Theft Coordinator, Inspector Saxon Dube. What we don’t understand is why he went on to receive stolen cattle.”
Insp Ncube said the police are currently focused on hunting down the four suspects involved in the case. After investigations are concluded, they will engage the owner of the feedlot where the cattle were recovered.
Meanwhile, the police have urged members of the public not to transact using livestock without proper clearance from the police. This follows the case of a man caught with at least 100 goats that he alleged to have obtained via barter trade in Binga.
“We urge all farmers and stakeholders to ensure that they get clearance for all the forms of livestock that they obtain. In this case, this man is supposed to have all clearance forms for each of the goats that he has. When it comes to livestock, people must be diligent, they must have clear paperwork. Transactions for livestock are different from transactions for bread and other groceries,” he said.
