Zimbabwean police in Beit Bridge have arrested 19 suspected cattle rustlers and recovered 106 stolen cattle during an ongoing anti-stock-theft operation in the district.

When Limpopo Mirror visited Zezani village outside the border town, where the animals are being kept under police guard, there were scores of people, mostly cattle breeders, at the pen, hoping to recover their stolen cattle.

Some of the cattle had been dehorned while others had had their brand marks tampered with. Some villagers were also busy putting up a new cattle pen to help accommodate the increasing number of recovered beasts.

Some of the recovered cattle were stolen from neighbouring villages in Botswana.

The officer commanding the police in the Beit Bridge district, C/Supt Lawrence Chinhengo, said they had intensified the crackdown on stock thieves. The arrested suspects are from Shanyaugwe, John Dip and Ngoma villages outside Beit Bridge. The first group, which involves Daniel Makhalima Moyo (78), who is believed to be the mastermind, his 28 year-old son, Nhlanhla Moyo, Obvious Nare (20) and Thembinkosi Khumalo, was arrested at Zezani village on Saturday last week while driving the cattle from Shanyaugwe village.

According to the police, the suspects are believed to be working in cahoots with some local abattoir operators to whom they supply the stolen cattle. The suspects had also built cattle pens in Shanyaugwe where they kept the stolen livestock while waiting to sell them. A total of 30 cattle has since been positively identified by the owners.

Villagers who spoke to Limpopo Mirror commended the efforts by the police and pledged to assist them in the ongoing exercise. One of the farmers, Mr Stanley Mudau, who had recovered three animals, said: “We really appreciate the efforts by the police. As farmers, we have agreed that we will continue to supply the police with information, so that they are able to track the suspects, most of whom are still at large.”

Mudau expressed concern, however, over the way the courts handled stock theft cases, saying some of the notorious cattle rustlers were being granted bail clandestinely. “Some of these known suspects arrested by the police continue to steal our livestock after having been granted bail, and we feel this is not justice worthy of the name. What these stock thieves are doing is economic sabotage,” he said.

Some of the stolen cattle are reportedly smuggled into neighbouring countries such as South Africa and Mozambique. In an effort to curb organized cross-border stock theft activities, some Beit Bridge villagers living in areas along the Limpopo River have since formed a joint anti-stock committee with their South African counterparts to fight organized cross-border stock theft. Villagers said most of their stolen livestock were smuggled into South Africa and Mozambique through the Madimbo and Sengwe corridors.