TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
Villagers in Gwanda district, Matabeleland South Province are living in fear of cattle rustlers who steal their livestock, Business Times can report.
It is understood that police are failing to deal with the problem in the area, impacting on livelihoods as the main agricultural activity in Matabeleland South Province is cattle rearing.
Gwanda Residents Association information and publicity officer Molvin Dube told Business Times the community is at a loss.
“If you look at Matabeleland South Province, mostly our agriculture is livestock, not cultivating bigger land. People are trying to make a living and their livestock is being stolen by the cattle rustlers just like that,” Dube said.
He added: “Villagers are in fear at the same time they are afraid that they will end up being hurt.
“Some of the cattle thieves are like wild animals because they kill people.
“Last time there were people who went out to look for their cattle but they got attacked by the cattle rustlers. It now makes it difficult to trace cattle”.
Dube said villagers have tried to form neighbourhood’s watch committee in a bid to protect their livestock and have recovered some livestock.
“Some of these livestock is recovered in Kelvin Bulawayo but we wonder how because there are roadblocks from Gwanda to Bulawayo,” he said.
Recently, police have recovered 16 cattle and seven donkeys after a weeklong operation against cattle rustlers in Gwanda District that have terrorised farmers and villagers over the last few months.
The operation, codenamed, Lets Fight Stock Thieves/ Asilwiseni Amasela Ezifuyo, was undertaken by more than 100 police officers, some on horseback, from September 26.
The 16 cattle recovered are worth US$4,800 while the seven donkeys are valued at $28 700.
A car, a Ford Ranger, was left behind by one of the suspected stock thieves as he fled with police in hot pursuit.
