LUHONONO - Cattle rustlers continue to cause misery among farmers in the Zambezi region, with the latest being Kabbe North councillor Bernard Sisamu falling victim and losing 12 heifers at once.
Stock theft has become a major challenge in many constituencies of the Zambezi region as local farmers continue to lose their livestock, which are often driven into neighbouring Zambia through unguarded border points.
“It is very high here. I am affected myself. As we speak, two of my herd boys have been jailed since February as they sold almost 12 of my cows. I recovered six of the animals, which were sold in Zambia. They admitted that they sold the livestock for as little as N$500. They were going from village to village, identifying those whom they sold the animals to. Even those people were arrested who bought the stolen livestock. One cow could potentially fetch up to N$6 000 on the market”, he lamented.
He said he is not the only victim as the whole constituency is affected, starting from Kalimbeza up to Kabbe South.
Sisamu observed that it is easy to drive the livestock into Zambia via ungazetted entry points.
However, he added that the cattle rustlers use canoes to transport the animals into that neighbouring country.
“They open the kraals at night and steal the animals. They take smaller heifers and load them into the canoes, and cross the river. From the kraals, they drive the animals, and when they reach the river, they tie the cows in the canoes and cross into Zambia. If you follow them, it will be too late to get them,” he indicated.
The other issue he raised is the lack of locals taking up jobs as cattle herders, compared to the Zambians, who are interested in herding animals in Namibia.
“For us to get cattle herders here in Zambezi is a problem. If you go and get people in Kavango since they are also interested in herding cattle, they come. But they don’t stay long, then they go back. But Zambians can take years before they go back, but many are stealing our animals,” he continued.
He stated that even if the cattle herders provide identity documents, some unscrupulous individuals abandon such papers once they steal and disappear into Zambia.
The stock theft challenge was echoed by Luhonono area induna (headman) Thedius Matengu, who said it remains a big concern among local communities.
“The majority of culprits stealing livestock are Zambian nationals, including those recruited as cattle herders,” he stressed.
Sisamu said various stakeholders’ meetings have been held between the affected communities, the Namibian Police, and their Zambian counterparts.
“This issue of stock theft was reported to my office. I took it up with the police, and even the minister is aware. He was here with his Zambian counterpart to address the community on the issue,” he noted.
He said although the police cannot patrol the whole borderline of Namibia and Zambia, there is a need to increase their presence in the area.
Zambezi police spokesperson Kisco Sitali earlier indicated that the issue of the Katima/Kamenga border is known as it stretches over 100 kilometres, which makes it difficult to patrol.
“With the assistance of our Zambian counterparts, the police managed to recover some livestock and had them returned to the owners.
However, the recoveries of livestock remain low”, he admitted.
The police confirmed that cattle rustlers can even empty a whole kraal with more than 20 animals.
“Sometimes they take the animals forcefully from our cattle herders, and drive them through thick bush. This happens both during the day and night. Farmers should continue branding their livestock, and also ensure that they employ cattle herders with national documents,” Sitali cautioned.
He said the police are in consultation with traditional authorities in the region to regulate the black market of beef sold under the trees in villages and alongside the Kongola/Katima Mulilo main road.
– anakale@nepc.com.na