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Peter Matika/Raymond Jaravaza, Chronicle Writers

FOLLOWING the dramatic arrest of Bhekilizwe Nyathi, a 43-year-old man from Nkulumane suburb suspected to be part of a growing cattle rustling syndicate, police have established anti-rustling monitoring groups within communities to curb the rampant crime.

The arrest of Nyathi on Monday, 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, has opened a can of worms within the dark industry, prompting police to take action.

Nyathi has subsequently been remanded in custody following his appearance at the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday. He is set to appear in court again on September 2.

Bulawayo has a striving but illegal informal meat sector that predominately operates after hours in darkness 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, told Chronicle yesterday that 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.

Earlier, he had revealed that Nyathi’s arrest was imminent as the vehicle he and his accomplices, who are still at large, were using to transport the carcasses had been under the radar of police intelligence for a while.

Meat industry expert and consultant, Mr Reginald Shoko, said the rising cases of cattle rustling in farming areas around Bulawayo and beyond will continue as long as the informal sector where the meat is sold on street corners in the city’s city centre and suburbs goes on unabated — giving criminal syndicates a ready market to sell stolen meat.

“Cattle rustling is big business that is run by well-operated syndicates who unfortunately feed a ready market that buys the stolen meat and sells to residents,” he said.

“So, as long as the informal meat sector is not eradicated, then cattle will continue to be stolen in huge numbers. The informal meat sector thrives on uninspected meat, which poses serious health risks to consumers in the long run as the stolen cattle may be infected with diseases, which will then be passed onto humans.

“If the meat vendors who operate on street corners remain in business then cattle rustling will not end. In hard times, people will always look for cheaper things. So, it’s a war between the informal sector against established abattoirs and butcheries.”

He also blamed the rising cases of cattle rustling to drought that forces farmers to release their livestock into pastures for prolonged periods thereby giving criminals a chance to strike.

“Farmers have no choice but to release their cattle into grazing lands for days on end and that’s when cattle rustlers take the opportunity to round up the animals and slaughter them in the bush and only carry the carcasses,” said Mr Shoko.

“The onus lies with the farmers to make sure that they know where their cattle are at all times otherwise cattle rustlers will continue to be a menace wiping out entire herds of cattle.”

A manager at an established butchery in the city that has been in the meat business for over three decades said some butcheries have been lured by the allure of cheap cattle offered by criminals and the prospects of maximum profits as compared to buying from abattoirs.

“Cattle rustlers offer butcheries meat at ridiculously low prices thereby tempting some of the industry players to buy from these criminals,” said the manager on condition of anonymity.

“So, it takes businesspeople with a strong will to do the right thing from buying stolen cattle. As a businessperson, once you go into business with cattle rustlers it becomes difficult to stop because the profits are higher compared to when buying meat from established abattoirs and genuine farmers selling their livestock.”

Insp Ncube said police were not only enforcing laws in Bulawayo but areas surrounding the city. Insp Ncube urged farmers to form groups that will assist in the curbing of livestock theft.

“The vehicle that Nyathi was driving was spotted in Inyathi, where there are reports of nine beasts that were stolen. So, members of the public are urged to report any such issues to the police,” said Insp Ncube.

Yesterday Chronicle took a snap survey around butcheries in the city centre and several western suburbs to establish discrepancies in the prices of meat.

At Choppies Supermarket in the CBD, a kilogramme of T-bone costs US$5.50 but the same grade of meat was priced at US$3.50 in a butchery in Old Magwegwe suburb and the till operator at the establishment told the news crew that their meat is cheapest.

Comment could not be immediately obtained from the Bulawayo City Council health directorate whose officials kept saying they were in meetings.