Mmegi

Kgomo-Khumo revives farmers’ confidence in farming

The quintet was recently convicted by Mahalapye Magistrate court PIC: BPS
The quintet was recently convicted by Mahalapye Magistrate court PIC: BPS

Upon realising a rise in cattle rustling in 2018, the Botswana Police Service (BPS) launched anti-cattle theft campaigns through Kgomo-Khumo to curb the scourge but stock thieves still continue to wreak havoc. Cattle rustlers are causing great misery to farmers, especially in rural communities that largely depend on agriculture for a living.

The police have over the years been adamant that most areas in Botswana were targeted mostly by organised criminal syndicates, something that forced them to come up with campaigns focusing on identifying and cracking the groups.

Moreover, the police went on to identify hot spots, their market and managed to disturb all the actions of stock theft networks countrywide, something that one would say indeed the police are doing the most to curb this problem.

Last week, the police issued a statement inviting members of the public for viewing and identification of 71 cattle suspected to have been stolen in some parts of southern and Kweneng districts. The cattle, mostly heifers, bear different brands and ear tags while some brands have been tempered with.

The police have been arresting the suspects and managed to recover some of the stolen livestock, something which is commendable as they continue to restore farmers’ confidence in farming, especially those rearing livestock for commercial purposes.

Reached for an interview, the BPS’ public relations officer, Assistant Superintendent Selebatso Mooketsi, said since April they have recorded 106 cases involving 243 livestock at a total value of P771, 150. Mooketsi also said 150 people were arrested of which 141 were males and nine females.

“So far, 154 livestock with the value of P531, 900.00 have been recovered and our team is working hard day and night to locate and recover the remaining 25 livestock. In the process, we managed to recover 65 carcasses, which were used as exhibits and we have since registered 52 cases before the courts of law and we are yet to register more cases in our efforts to bring all of the suspects before justice. We have observed that a number of butcheries thrive on stolen stock and we have been inspecting and arresting butchery owners involved in this crime. Despite these numbers, we are happy with the progress we have made thus far in containing stock theft,” she said.

Mooketsi further stated that stock theft syndicates are mostly made up of herdsmen, butchery owners, unemployed young men residing in cattle posts and street vendors popularly known as bommaseapei.

She revealed that of the arrested suspects, the youngest was 19-years-old whilst the oldest was 71-years-old. She stated that beef products were in demand as most butcheries strive on stolen stock something that made stock theft to be a well paying job to the syndicates that existed for years as they kept on repeatedly arresting the same people. She added that there were many informal sectors who consume meat on daily basis and this has since pushed the demand up.

However, she said with the help of the justice system, they have since improved how these cases are being processed because the majority of suspects were seen recommitting the offences whilst on bail.

“This has brought confidence on the majority of farmers as some of them had given up on commercial farming.

They have formed farmers’ committees, clusters of which they have partnered with the police to curb stock theft and could not stop applauding the Kgomo-Khumo initiative, they truly appreciate our effort and we are happy to have restored their confidence in farming because historically Batswana are farmers,” she said. Meanwhile, Mooketsi pleaded with farmers to brand their livestock to curb stock theft as rustlers have the habit of targeting unbranded beasts. She said they usually hang around grazing areas to rustle unbranded stock hence important for farmers to brand their livestock while they are still young.

“If someone steals a calf and brands it, chances of identifying it positively are very slim unless it has features similar to those of its mother and refuses to get behind it (its mother). We also encouraged farmers to take good care of their cattle by feeding, watering, registering them and to make it a commitment to pay their herdsmen in time. The majority of farmers were failing to take care of their herdsmen because they could spend months without getting paid hence failing to kraal them,” she said.

Mooketsi said most farmers had abandoned their animals as they barely visit their cattle posts and did not know their animals.

She revealed to have been holding kgotla meetings, doing community outreach programmes sensitising farmers on the importance of taking care of their animals and was happy that their efforts are bearing fruits as farmers have gained confidence farming.

For years, farmers in Botswana have been counting losses with the bulk of them wishing to give up on cattle rearing due to the high rate of stock theft. But looking at the recent strings of arrests, it is evident that with the Kgomo-Khumo anti-stock theft operation, the police are doing the most in their endeavours to bring back their confidence in farming, to invest in it and contribute to the country’s economy, Mmegi Staff Writer PINI BOTHOKO observes

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