KATIMA MULILO – The Namibian Police Force (NamPol) in the Zambezi region on Friday handed over nine donkeys and three cattle that were stolen from Zambia to their lawful owners.
The event took place at the Luhonono police station in eastern Zambezi, and was officiated by police station commander Farisi Munuko, as well as the head of the Zambezi community policing, Kisco Sitali, who also serves as the regional spokesperson.
Sitali said the animals were recovered from different places in the region after tip-offs from community members.
This led to the arrest of a 29-year-old Zambian suspect, who has been remanded in the Katima Mulilo police holding cells.
He said the suspect is believed to have been running a syndicate for a long time, where he would steal livestock from Zambia for trading.
The suspect was smuggling donkeys from Zambia and exchanging them for cattle in Namibia, especially to desperate farmers who want to migrate from farming with cattle when ploughing their fields to using donkeys.
The animals were recovered at villages like Nankutwe, Itomba, Mutwalwizi and Nakabolelwa.
Sitali urged farmers to stop moving animals at night.
He requested those who do business to verify documentation.
Luhonono village headman Matengu Simana said he has heard of people who engage in this illicit trade, but warned his subjects to refrain from doing so, arguing that the free movement of livestock at ungazetted entry and exit points has devastating economic consequences.
“People forget easily. It was just recently when we were faced with an outbreak of animal diseases that our veterinary experts struggled to detect because of this illegal community activity that people engage in. Police patrols should continue, especially at the Nkanza and other ungazetted crossing points,” said the pensioner.
The owner of the donkeys, Vincent Lubasi, said his animals went missing in the Sankolonga area of Zambia over a month ago.
He said although not all of them were recovered, he is grateful for the efforts made by the Namibian Police in conjunction with their Zambian counterparts. -Nampa