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Freeman Razemba Crime Reporter
More than 14 000 people have been arrested countrywide for stock theft and related cases during the first eight months of the year. During the same period, 4 004 cattle were stolen compared to 4 794 last year.

Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Dr Joseph Made said concerted efforts to curb stock theft were needed. Police have recorded 1 980 cases of stock theft since the beginning of the year.

Last year, during the first eight months, 2 314 cases were recorded, translating to a 14 percent decrease. “A total of 650 suspects were arrested for stock theft involving cattle while 13 538 were arrested for related offences this year,” Dr Made said.

He said last year 733 suspects were arrested for stock theft while 13 084 people were arrested for committing related cases.

He said he was confident that the cattle branding programme would be fully embraced by all livestock farmers in the country.

“The Government through the Veterinary and Livestock Department is also contributing through the introduction of zonal brands that will further identify cattle with a particular province, district or dip tank.

“These brands will assist the control of cattle movement as a way of monitoring and prevention of the spread of diseases,” he said.

Dr Made said the force remained relentlessly committed to strengthening the nation’s livestock sector through religious pursuit of various strategies spelt out in the ZRP Strategic Plan Vision 2020.

“This unparalleled dedication to safeguard the pillars that sustain the country’s economy dovetails with government’s new economic blue-print, ZimAsset,” he said.

He urged farmers to acquire brand certificates, branding irons as well as having all their cattle branded.

He said this would help them safeguard their stock from theft as cattle rustlers were unlikely to target branded cattle.