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Munyaradzi Doma in Zvishavane
Motorists and villagers in Runde have appealed to authorities in the area to curb the problem of stray livestock, which are largely blamed for accidents and the destruction of crops in the district.

There has been an increase in road traffic accidents that are caused by stray domestic animals in the area. A Runde villager, Mr Richard Makumbe, said the problem needed to be addressed urgently.

“We are having serious problems with stray livestock which is destroying our crops and we have nowhere to seek recourse because nobody comes to claim ownership of the cattle,’’ he said.

“Our appeal to the authorities is for them to urgently do something before more damage is done, particularly on our crops by the stray livestock because at the end of the day, the situation compromises food security in our area.’’ The high incidence of accidents, the villagers said, should ring alarm bells to district authorities.

Runde RDC chairman Councillor Norman Sibanda said council would continue to conduct regular auctions for stray cattle that remained unclaimed. He cautioned that the auctions had to follow due process. “What we do as council is that whenever there is a report of stray livestock, we inform the police who will then alert the local community about the presence of stray livestock to enable the owners to come forward and make a claim,’’ said Mr Sibanda.

‘’However, if the stray livestock goes unclaimed for three months, we will proceed to conduct an auction because the livestock would now be deemed State property.’’