SIBBINDA – Communal farmers around Sibbinda have decried increasing cases of cattle theft, which remains unsolved in the Zambezi region. 

Time and again, many farmers in the region continue to suffer because of cattle smuggling, which is a major challenge, as the region borders Zambia, where most stolen livestock is often driven across the border by cattle rustlers to be sold on the market.

In an interview with New Era recently, Phellem Mutuwangele, the headman of Sikosinyana in Sibbinda, expressed grave concern over increasing cattle smuggling into Zambia.

“Nearly every month, our livestock are stolen. If you are lucky, a month will pass, but the next month, cattle will be stolen. They don’t take one. They steal more than 10, or the whole kraal,” Mutuwangele said.

He said once local farmers follow up on their stolen animals, Zambian nationals ask for bribes before giving any information regarding the whereabouts of the missing livestock.

“They tell us that if you don’t give us money, then we won’t tell you where your livestock are. So, farmers are really losing their animals. We want to see the presence of border guards along the border,” he said.

Asked if they have neighbourhood patrols, Mutuwangele said there are a lot of personal disputes among the community that hamper good cooperation.

Another affected farmer in the same area is Richwell Maximo, who confirmed that stock theft is a thorn in the community’s flesh.

“It’s a challenge in the community, and it’s a concern for every farmer in the area because when these thieves come, they take the animals into Zambia. Mind you, we don’t have a river to cross. You just walk there. We don’t have border guards. Nowadays, you won’t even recognise that it’s a border. So, our cattle are really going. These thieves come armed and prepared,” he said.

He said there is a reluctance between Zambian and Namibian borders, as theft is not taking place on the Botswana-Namibia border.

“That side, the Botswana Defence Force is very serious. You cross the border, and you are gone. The police in Zambia may be part and parcel of that crime. I don’t know,” he charged.

He also acknowledged that the crime rate around Sibbinda is very high due to the escalating unemployment rate. 

The community said they are in urgent need of a police station in Sibbinda, as the nearest one is 60 kilometres in Katima Mulilo. 

They sometimes file a report at Kongola, which is more than 60 kilometres away.

A Sibbinda youth, Lydia Mukuni, also called for the presence of a police station in the area to combat crime. 

“We need teamwork. Livestock  theft is high. We don’t have community policing because of division within the community. We are not working together. Division within our traditional leadership is affecting us. We need to be united, and move in the same direction,” she urged. 

Sibbinda residents also demand developmental gaps to be addressed.

“We are facing a lot of challenges. We don’t have water for our people. Three-quarters of our villages have no electricity. We also don’t have enough grazing for our cattle, as it’s a drought year. Most of our livestock will die because there is no grass and water,” the headman moaned. The community has a borehole, which they currently share with their livestock. 

Some dominant views in the villages are that they “won’t vote if their challenges are not addressed by the government”.

-anakale@nepc.com.na