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WE welcome the establish-ment of anti-rustling monitoring groups within communities among other strategies by the police in Bulawayo to curb rampant cases of cattle rustling.

Rustlers mostly target areas on the outskirts of Bulawayo with the stolen meat finding its way to the city.

On Monday, police arrested Bhekilizwe Nyathi from Nkulumane suburb who is part of a gang that allegedly stole and slaughtered a herd of five cattle in Fort Rixon before attempting to smuggle the carcasses to a butchery in Magwegwe suburb.

Bulawayo has a thriving but illegal informal meat sector that predominately operates after hours on street corners in the city’s CBD and suburbs such as Cowdray Park, Emganwini, Pumula, and Magwegwe, among others where meat is sold for as little as US$1 for a packet.

The meat vendors start business at sunset away from the prying eyes of law enforcement authorities such as municipal police and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) targeting budget-conscious shoppers making last-minute purchases before heading home from work.

In the city centre, the vendors operate in places such as the illegal 6th Avenue commuter omnibus rank, a street corner near the TM Hyper/Pick and Pay Supermarket, and other street corners.

Bulawayo Provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Abednico Ncube on Thursday said the police will soon rain down not only on all cattle rustlers but also on residents who buy stolen meat, as well as middlemen comprising butcheries and street vendors.

“We will soon be visiting all butcheries around the city to establish the authenticity of the origins of the meat that they sell. We have already set up teams to monitor the movement of vehicles transporting cattle and anyone found in contempt will face the full wrath of the law,” said Insp Ncube.

He said the collaboration between communities, farmers, and anti-crime committees is yielding positive results.

“Cattle rustling is not a war that can be fought by a single police unit but by a regiment comprising communities and police. This is why we have found it prudent to intercept cattle rustlers as a collaborative force,” Insp Ncube added.

He said residents too were to blame for fuelling cattle rustling as they are not concerned with the price and quality of the meat they buy.

“The pricing system is that under normal circumstances a kilogramme of beef costs US$4,50 or so and you find a person or a butcher selling the same amount of meat for as little as US$2 per kg that should ring a bell that the meat is stolen or infected,” said Insp Ncube.