Villagers in Sivomo area in Nkayi have formed a group called ‘Azibuye eMasisweni’ to tackle the increasing cases of stock theft in the area.
Villagers say they lose about 1,000 cattle per month to stock theft. They are also concerned about the way the police and courts in Nkayi handle stock theft cases.
Country Moyo, the founder of the group, said that villagers no longer know who to turn to as the police are letting them down.
He said that in 2017, he and his brother lost eight cows which were later found in Gokwe. The police arrested the thief, but the case took six months to be resolved.
Moyo said that about 50 victims of stock theft have not been given case numbers. He said that three months ago, villagers caught a thief transporting a cow with a scotch cart at night. The thief was arrested and taken to the police, but the police recently told the villagers that they could not find the docket.
Another villager, who preferred anonymity, said that villagers have sent two delegations to Nkayi police to ask about the status of their cases, but have not received satisfactory answers.
He said that villagers lose about 1,000 cows per year to stock theft, and that they are doing everything they can to work with the police, but that the police are not doing enough.
He said that villagers recently recovered cows from Gomoza in Lupane, but when they called the police, they were told that the police had no fuel and would come later. The villagers said that they did not know what happened to the thief.
Villagers say that they are losing hope in the police system as they are handling stock theft cases in the same manner.
