Zambezi governor Lawrence Sampofu has accused Zambian authorities of being difficult to deal with when it comes to assisting their Namibian counterparts to apprehend cattle rustlers, who are wreaking havoc and giving local farmers sleepless nights.

Cattle theft has been rampant in Zambezi, where the rustlers cross the land border, steal cattle from the Namibian side and drive them into Zambia, where there is a reportedly lucrative meat market. 

“It seems that there is a syndicate on the other side, both from the police, the traditional authorities and the local authorities. They are not cooperative enough to assist us,” said Sampofu. 

He further said, “There are many trackers who are trying to track those stolen cattle in Zambia, and they have been told to pay lots of money just to get that information. It is a serious case that our government needs to look into”.

Sampofu made these remarks during a meeting with international relations minister Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah on Monday. 

The meeting was organised to review security challenges faced by the region.

“These cattle rustlers are equipped with AK47s. Some of the trackers have been threatened by shooting in the air, just to warn them that they are armed,” said Sampofu.

He said an improvement has been observed when it comes to border challenges between Namibia and Botswana, following a joint meeting, which was held in Katima Mulilo in September last year.

At the end of the joint meeting, the two countries signed a communiqué, which resolved, among others, to co-exist peacefully. 

The agreement further aimed at bringing to a close the subject of the killing of three Namibians and their Zambian cousin in 2020 by the Botswana Defence Force. 

The parties also reaffirmed their continued willingness to share natural resources along the border.

“We have not experienced much
with our border with Botswana. Nevertheless, there might have been a few items there,” said Sampofu.

 His sentiments were shared by Nandi-Ndaitwah, who stressed the few isolated incidents that have been reported are an indication that more still needs to be done. 

She added the two governments remain committed to ensuring peace prevails between the two
countries.

 “Subsequently, to address the unfortunate incident that occurred between our common borders, our presidents have directed that a second joint mission should be taken by the two foreign ministers to assess the situation, and to make sure that peaceful co-existence between our common borders is maintained at all cost,” said Nandi-Ndaitwah.