Albertina Nakale

Police in the Zambezi region reported that a total of 824 cattle valued at more than N$4.94 million were stolen between April 2022 and April 2023. Stock theft remains a major challenge in Zambezi, as local farmers lose livestock which is often driven into neighbouring Zambia through the thick unguarded border.

Time and again, both the regional political leadership and law-enforcement officials express grave concern that stock theft is a serious challenge as the region is bordering Zambia, where stolen livestock is often driven across the border by cattle rustlers to be sold on the black market. 

Zambezi Regional Crime 

Investigations Coordinator Kenneth Simbwaye told New Era that although the total number of stolen cattle is 824 since April 2022, the police managed to recover 367 livestock valued at N$2.53 million.

He confirmed that 457 animals worth N$2.42 million have not been recovered to date. 

Of the recovered livestock, a whopping 755 cattle were recovered in Namibia, and 69 were traced in Zambia.

The Namibian Police in the region managed to arrest 62 suspected cattle rustlers, of whom 25 are Namibians, 33 are Zambian nationals, three are Angolans, and one is Motswana.

Simbwaye highlighted some challenges in relation to stock theft in the thick bushy areas of Zambezi.

These include livestock owners’ negligence; unmarked livestock; poor documentation of livestock; unoccupied cattle posts; unregulated domestic workers and cattle herders; holding kraals for exhibits, lost and found; as well as livestock going astray.

“Many stock owners allow their animals to graze unattended. Some owners leave their cattle in grazing fields for long periods without counting them, and stock losses are detected long after they occur, making it difficult for the police to investigate such incidents,” he stated. 

Furthermore, Simbwaye noted that unmarked livestock are easier to steal because they make detection difficult, and also make legal processes more complicated. 

The movement of livestock without proper accompanying documentation is common. Therefore, the police officer feels enforcement of such measures presents a challenge, given the sheer scale of animals being moved on a daily basis.

“Unoccupied cattle posts, particularly along the borderline, are used by stock thieves to hide stolen cattle during daylight hours. They resume the driving of the stolen animals at night to avoid detection,” he continued.

Equally, domestic workers and cattle herders are not regulated, which makes it difficult for law-enforcement officers to trace them, especially when they commit crimes or when needed by the court as State witnesses.

Sadly, Simbwaye said, the police in the Zambezi region do not have a facility to keep recovered livestock, particularly those illegally introduced and found astray from neighbouring countries. 

Another challenge is that approval from Interpol to conduct joint investigations with neighbouring counterparts takes too long, which delays the search for stolen stock. 

“While waiting for approval, the stock thieves drive cattle faraway, covering long distances, specifically in Zambia, or the livestock is being disposed of in other manners leading to no recovery of livestock,” he lamented. 

– anakale@nepc.com.na