A 30-year-old Beit Bridge resident, linked to an organised cattle rustling syndicate, was sentenced to an effective 27 years in jail last Monday for stealing six heads of cattle from his neighbours.

Melusi Moyo of Dendele village outside Beit Bridge area was convicted on his own plea of guilty to three counts of stock theft by a local magistrate, Mr Carrington Karidzagundi. The value of the cattle is estimated at R18 000.

The prosecutor, Mr Foster Abeki, said that sometime in October 2010, Moyo had gone to the Zhovhe grazing area outside Beit Bridge, where he stole two heifers belonging to Jeremiah Muleya. He then proceeded to another grazing area in Shobby village and stole a cow and a calf belonging to Gilbert Ndlovu, before stealing another cow and its calf, belonging to Thomas Sibanda, at the same village. He drove the cattle to his homestead in Dendele village, where he penned the animals.

Acting on a tip-off, police officers descended on Moyo’s homestead where they found the stolen animals in his kraal. Soon after spotting the police, Moyo took to his heels, but he was arrested the following day.

All the stolen cattle were then taken to a local police station where the complainants positively identified them. Some of the recovered cows had their brand marks and ear marks tampered with, while others had been dehorned.