The Sunday Mail
Noah Pito
When Parliament debated the Stock Theft Amendment Bill and gave the green light for a mandatory nine-year jail sentence for those convicted of stock theft, it was agreed that cattle are a source of livelihood for most Zimbabweans and therefore cattle rustling is equal to destroying their sustenance.
According to African tradition, cattle have always been considered an important status symbol. The beasts are used for sacrificial rites, ploughing and transportation.
But despite the importance of the beasts, farmers seem reluctant to implement the measures that have been recommended to safeguard their treasures.
Addressing thousands of people who turned up at Zebra Downs Shopping Centre for a ZRP Service Charter and Personalised Cattle Branding Re-Launch in Hurungwe last week, the Officer Commanding Police in Mashonaland West Province, Senior Assistant Commissioner Rangarirai Mushaurwa said cattle branding makes it easy for the police to quickly recover both stolen and stray beasts.
“You must not only think of your beasts when you want to yoke them. They must be herded and penned every day. Be responsible for your property,” she stressed before adding that a lot of beasts are being auctioned by rural district councils in the province after the owners could not be traced.
According to Hurungwe Bussiness Against Stock Theft (BAST) chairman Mr Aggrey Matashu, some members of the community are reluctant to part with only $2 to ensure the security for their beasts.
“lt only requires $2 to acquire a certificate of branding from the Registrar-General’s Office but the response has been very slow. May be some people just don’t want to embrace new ideas.
“Unfortunately, unbranded beasts remain the thieves’ targets. Personal branding gives a unique identity to one’s animals, just as a person’s identity card number does. Cattle branding will go a long way in discouraging cattle rustling,” he explained.
Mr Matashu said his committee will soon introduce a special fine for cattle owners with unbranded beasts. However, some people feel that branding is a violation of cultural traditions.
A spirit medium from Chigede Village under Chief Dendera, Stoker Charedzera, said he does not subscribe to cattle branding as it violates certain prescriptions from the ancestral spirits.
“Sacred beasts need not be branded, for by so doing you will be making a circus of the ancestral spirits. It is taboo,” he said.
Another villager, Mr Simon Sithole from Parandel Farm in Madzimoyo, Tengwe, said most people in his area are reluctant to embrace branding as branded beasts sometimes develop septic wounds that take time to heal.
Officials in the veterinary department recommend that branding be done in winter to prevent such cases. Special wound medication can also be used.
So far, the Hurungwe Rural District Council (HRDC) has auctioned 106 unbranded cattle this year.
HRDC chief executive officer Mr Joram Moyo said it is sad that his council auctions stray cattle at least once every month.
“Auctioning of impounded cattle is sort of a punishment to compel the owners to look after their beasts in future, yet it leaves them worse off. Farmers should put in place measures to ensure the security of their beasts. If the beasts are branded, the owners can simply be advised to collect their beasts after paying a small fine,” he said.
Snr Asst Comm Mushaurwa also encouraged communities to help in the fight against cattle rustling as most of the culprits come from within the same communities.
“Most of these rustlers come from within your own communities. The thieves are usually amongst us, right here within our communities,” she said.
Between January and September this year, Hurungwe district recorded 155 cases of stock-theft against 263 cases during the same period last year.
According to Hurungwe Bussiness Against Stock Theft (BAST) chairman Mr Aggrey Matashu, this year’s 41 percent decline in the district’s stocktheft can be attributed to several factors, among them the supporting effort from HRDC and other stakeholders.
“Although I may attribute the decline to various awareness campaigns done by ZRP and routine inspections on food outlets and butcheries, including the busting of unregistered butcheries and food outlets, it must be noted that members of the community have also become very vigilant on the movement of animals.
“It is increasingly becoming difficult to drive cattle from one area to another without being quizzed,” he said.
Police records show that stock theft peaks during the period June to November when most people leave their animals to roam freely.
