GWERU – Several farmers in the Midlands province are counting their losses as cheeky cattle rustlers
are slaughtering and deboning cattle in pens and taking away the meat for resale.
The criminals are preying on livestock in pens during the night. The stolen livestock would then be
slaughtered before the meat finds its way to illegal meat outlets and butcheries.
One of the victims to this scourge said: “We need to deal decisively with these criminals who are
causing untold suffering to farmers.”
Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement John
Basera is also concerned with the cattle rustling scourge in the Midlands province.
“This cattle rustling 'scourge' must stop now. A 'stricter' 'Operation Nyama Yabvepi' coming,” he said
on his official Twitter account.
Meanwhile, three men and a woman were on January 28 caught red-handed slaughtering a stolen
cow at a plot in Lalapanzi.
The four suspects Muruvi Murivi (56), Evelyn Magona, Godknows Dube (27) of Hillview 1 Lalapanzi
and Amon Mpofu (68) of village 4 Makuti were arrested after they were caught with stolen cattle
from Plot 29 Hillview 1 in Lalapanzi.
On the day in question at around 10pm, Jonathan Phiri (62) of Hillview 1 in Lalapanzi was at his
homestead when he heard noises coming from Muruvi‘s kraal.
He teamed up with his colleague and proceeded to Muruvi’s homestead. Upon arrival, they saw the
four suspects allegedly slaughtering a beast and subsequently made a report to the police leading to
the arrest of the four suspects.
Police managed to recover five live beasts which were allegedly stolen from one Mr Hwacha’s plot.
The latest incident comes after some cattle rustlers allegedly slaughtered and deboned six cattle
inside the kraal at Plot number 19 Gando in Lalapanzi on January 21.
In 2022, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) arrested 336 suspects for stock theft between January and
June with two of the accused now serving a combined 36 years behind bars.
Between January to June 2022, the police received a total of 3 214 stock theft cases compared to 4
053 cases during the same period in the year 2021.
Police have warned cattle rustlers selling meat to illegal meat vendors that the long arm of the law
will eventually catch up with them.
“The Police have noted that in some instances criminals are preying on livestock in pens during the
night. The stolen livestock would then be slaughtered before the meat finds its way to illegal meat
outlets and butcheries. The public is advised to report to the Police, suspicious people selling meat at
illegal market outlets,” police national police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said
in a statement recently.
ZRP said it will not hesitate to arrest abattoirs and butchery owners who fuel cattle rustling by
purchasing stolen cattle.
