Butchery owners warned against �hot� cattle
Pini Bothoko | Thursday September 14, 2017 16:29
Police and butchery owners from Gaborone and surrounding villages, met at Tsholofelo Hall on Tuesday where the law enforcement officers stressed that the rules around the purchase and slaughter of cattle must be adhered to.
The aptly named anti-stock theft branch deputy director, assistant commissioner Emmanuel Dikgomo said police, overwhelmed by cases of stock theft, have discovered that these are mainly driven by butchery owners who buy and sell stolen cattle.
“If butchery owners could stop buying stolen cattle, they could kill the market for stock theft,” he said.
“In the past, we arrested people including butchery owners for slaughtering cattle in the bush without permits.
“This is an indication that some butchery owners are running businesses in which their cattle are procured illegally.”
He said police would swoop down on any butchery owners buying or selling cattle outside the laid down protocols.
“Be warned that we will not hesitate to arrest and charge you if we can find you not following the right procedure for purchasing, slaughtering and selling meat in your businesses.
“Batswana are losing their livestock, which is the only thing sustaining them, just because of businesspeople who do not want to follow the laws,” Dikgomo said.
He also urged butchers to acquaint themselves with the regulations around the times when the transportation of cattle from the kraals to abattoirs for slaughtering is permitted.
“Section Six of the Stocktheft Act forbids the transportation of cattle at night. Cattle transportation is permitted from 6:30am to 6:30pm.
“We have however noted an increase in the transportation of cattle at night to abattoirs and this is not allowed.
“This trend is something that fuels stocktheft as stolen cattle are transported and slaughtered at night,” Dikgomo said.
Transporting cattle or meat at night, Dikgomo said, would also jeopardise hygiene standards.
“Any person who, with the purpose of trade either buying or selling, makes or accepts delivery of stock or produce between sunset and dawn, is acting illegally,” he said.
Environment health officer, Carol Kelepile encouraged butchers to always consider the types of vehicles they use to transport meat from abattoirs to the butchery.
She said only refrigerated vehicles should be used, and not open vans, which are common amongst some butchers.
“You should also make sure that those vehicles have stainless steel hanging rails to safely hang the meat for hygiene purposes,” Kelepile said.