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Bianca Leboho Herald Reporter
Police have called for intensified cattle branding in response to an upsurge in stocktheft between January and May 2016 as compared to the same period last year. Speaking at a Zimbabwe Republic Police and Business Anti-Stock Theft Forum annual general meeting yesterday, Senior Assistant Commissioner Bernard Dumbura said the rate of stocktheft had increased by 16 percent in 2016.

“Statistics for the period January to May 2015 compared to January to May 2016 indicated that a total of 3 535 cattle were stolen in the period between January and May 2015 whilst 4 103 cattle were stolen in the 2016 corresponding period.

“This translates to a 16 percent increase in cattle theft,” said Snr Asst Comm Dumbura. Snr Asst Comm Dumbura said the recovery rate had also slightly decreased with 1 248 cattle, representing 35 percent having been recovered in 2015 whilst a total of 1 398 – which translates to 34 percent – was recovered in 2016.

Snr Asst Comm Dumbura said the upsurge in cattle theft had forced business and the police anti-stock theft unit to come up with 10 universal cattle branders which would be used to brand cattle in the country.

“The universal branders will be distributed to all the provinces in the country and this will ensure that stolen cattle are easily identified,” he said. Police anti-stock theft national coordinator Snr Asst Comm Erasmus Makodza said 95 percent of cattle stolen this year were not branded.

Provincial representatives who were part of the meeting attributed stocktheft to lack of branding, unavailability of abattoirs, lack of statutory instruments to control livestock mobility and the straying of animals in search of pastures as a result of drought and veld fire, among other causes.