Police crack Zone 11 crossborder stocktheft syndicate
Innocent Selatlhwa | Monday June 8, 2026 06:00
The country’s FMD crisis is currently concentrated in Zone 11, the second largest disease control area and the country’s most economically critical area for cattle ranching.
The Zone has been under the strictest FMD restrictions in the country since the virus broke out in South Africa two months ago.
Investigations by community leaders indicate that despite the erection of a new cordon fence and enhanced FMD patrols, syndicates are operating across the border in South Africa, using local middlemen to round up and steal livestock for resale there.
The suspect (names withheld) was arrested by Mephato from the various villages along the border in Mmakgori in the wee hours of Sunday morning, where he was attending a church service. Before handing him over to the Police in Ramatlabama, the suspect is said to have confessed to his involvement in a large-scale syndicate that mainly targets goats, which have a readily available market.
The suspect allegedly mentioned individuals he has been working with, including some who reside in the affected villages that have been losing large numbers of goats.
Speaking to Mmegi, Oaitse Mothibi, chairperson of Matlhoka Boroko Mophato in Ditlharapa, said suspicions of organised stock theft in the area were confirmed a fortnight ago, after 40 goats were stolen in one kraal in Molete village.
He said following the incident, information pointed to the suspect and a manhunt was organised. Mothibi said the suspect was long suspected as a kingpin in cross-border rustling, after he moved to South Africa many years ago.
“He had long left for South Africa, and we were always suspicious that an insider from our village was involved because they would head to our kraals like they knew their locations,” he said. “We had planned that we would fuel cars and go hunt him down in South Africa, but lucky for us, he fell into our hands,” said Mothibi.
Mothibi said that when they got wind that the suspect had been spotted in Phitshane-Molopo and would attend an all-night church service in Mmakgori, they decided to follow his trail.
“We mobilised Ramatlabama Police, and they agreed to go with us to Mmakgori. “We got there around 2 am, and we found him. “We were relieved as we had always believed he was behind this. “We had even agreed that if we cannot find him, we might as well give up on keeping livestock,” he said.
The chairperson said that before he was taken to the Ramatlabama Police Station, the suspect revealed a lot.
“He told us that he works with some people from almost all the villages along the border. “Once they steal the goats, they cut the fence, take them to a place known as Makhubung in South Africa where there is a certain guy who receives the goats from them and stores them. “Once the number of goats reaches 200, they are then sold to a certain white farmer from Lichtenberg,” he said.
Mothibi said the suspect revealed a lot of information on stolen goats and where they had been taken from within the local border villages.
“He revealed that he has groups in Phitshane-Molopo, Mokatako, Molete, Ditlharapa, Marojane and Phihetswane,” he said.
Mothibi said community members started the mophato in April 2025 in response to a rise in cross-border stock theft cases.
He said that while on their patrols, they would track goats, only to realise that they had been taken to South Africa. When further follow-ups were done, the Mophato would find that the goats had already been sold.
“Working together with other Mephato in neighbouring villages, we realised that there is a market that side. “Sometimes when we track them, we find them already sold, while sometimes we catch them before selling and hand them back to authorities,” he said.
Mothibi said the police have promised to keep them updated, after the mophato expressed concern that the suspect should not be released.
He also added that mophato members are not safe during their patrols, as some thieves from South Africa carry weapons. He said that despite the security organs' efforts to help them, those efforts were insufficient. He said, for example, the Police officers stationed in their village are not armed.
“The support we are getting from them is not enough, as they are not enough or properly equipped. Despite the challenges, we will not give up. We will continue to fight to save our animals,” he said.
Contacted for comment, Ramatlabama Police Station Commander Superintendent Mary Baabina confirmed the arrest of three suspects believed to be behind a number of stock theft cases.
“We are still investigating, questioning the three suspects who are still in custody,” she said.
The station commander said stock theft was still rampant in the area, with thieves especially targeting small stock.
“We always find the fence cut, and we follow up, working with our South African counterparts. “Sometimes we recover the animals; unfortunately, on other occasions, we do not. “Due to Foot and Mouth Disease, even when we recover animals, we are restrained from bringing them back to Botswana,” she said.
Babeile said that, to show there could be many people involved in stock theft, police continue to record new cases even after the arrest of three suspects who are in custody.
“The sad thing is that when they attack a kraal, they take all of the goats in there. We are trying our best to fight this crime because goats are being stolen in large numbers. “We have the Police, BDF and Mophato always patrolling, but the theft keeps on continuing,” she said.
The latest developments indicate that even as the fight against FMD continues in Zone 11, significant gaps remain in policing the border.