Thirty-five years after Independence, one would have imagined that service delivery would encompass every corner of the country. 

However, the opposite is true, given the current situation in the Zambezi region, with a rising rate of stock theft. Imagine a situation in which one loses fifty-nine or more herds of cattle during a single raid. 

This trend of cattle rustling, which has recently resurfaced, has left many cattle farmers perplexed and deeply concerned about the possible loss of their livestock. 

The rustling is organised and targets any animal on sight, whether in the veld or in the kraal. Of course, the scale of stock theft has been increasing for some time, but the sudden upsurge is concerning and appears overwhelming. Without any credible research, people can only speculate about the main causes of these thefts. 

The growing demand for cattle in the abattoirs could be a compelling factor. This, in turn, leads to economic demands and self-sustainability longed for by the rustlers. It is usually a gentleman’s agreement, in which the abattoir owner wants cattle for his butchery and looks for a rustler who needs money for taxi and shop business. 

Throw in a policeman who is trigger happy and would not hesitate to render his rifle for a commission when the deal is finalised successfully. More importantly, most of these rustlers have worked as herders in the Zambezi, and rustling becomes easier because they are familiar with the terrain from Impalila to Singalamwe and know the villages like the back of their hands. 

They tend to know good and bad masters, especially those who were mean and failed to pay them. What do people in the Zambezi do? 

They blindly grab anyone and employ them as cattle herders without thorough scrutiny, let alone knowing that some of them might have skipped jail terms. In addition, there is a general belief that the cattle herders are desperate and should be treated in degrading circumstances. 

In light of the aforementioned factors contributing to the high rate of stock theft, the role of law enforcement in assisting distressed cattle owners has been somewhat diminished, if not entirely absent. 

The issue of stock theft has persisted for many years, but authorities appear to lack a durable mechanism to combat it. Following the rustlers in Zambia has not been very effective, because when cattle are identified, the police put obstacles and misinformation in the way when attempting to retrieve the stolen animals. Of course, there have been security meetings between the two sides to find amicable solutions to address stock theft, but they have always ended in an impasse. In this case, the winning side is always the Zambian side. 

Going there and talking to whoever is in the office is just a waste of time because they always falsify information and equally apply delaying tactics. Maybe what many Namibians, even those in security jobs, do not understand is the perception held by the other side of ill-treating their countrymen when employed as herders, coupled with a purely inextricable thuggery philosophy. 

In reality, the rustlers hide behind the principle of avenging for treatment usually meted out against their people and at the same time serving myriad cartels of stock theft. For the whole exercise to be mitigated, it needs both community and political will. 

If need be, let the two heads of State intervene by physically visiting the affected areas to understand the situation on the ground and take precautionary measures through their law enforcement agencies. Without any credible measures to stop this, stock-theft scourge will leave many families without any source of income to sustain themselves and their children. 

*Prof. Makala Lilemba is an academician, author, diplomat, researcher and scholar.