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Peter Matika, [email protected]

A dauntless 71-year-old woman from Ntabazinduna area, in the Umguza District of Matabeleland North province has been denied bail after reportedly hatching an elaborate cattle rustling scheme.

Sithabile Ngwenya allegedly stole 20 cattle on three separate occasions from a single farm valued at about US$16 000.

An emotionally “dead” Ngwenya appeared at the Bulawayo Magistrates’ Court on Friday for a bail hearing.

Ngwenya, who was not represented, appeared before Bulawayo provincial magistrate, Mrs Beverly Madzikatire, who denied her bail citing the gravity of the case. She was remanded in custody to September 27.

 

“You not only committed this offence once but thrice and acted in connivance with one Muleyi Ndlovu who is still at large. It was only on the third occasion that you were intercepted and arrested. You stole these cattle, slaughtered some of them and some were sold. The total value of the cattle is US$16 200.

Therefore, the court takes this issue seriously and denies you bail,” said Mrs Madzikatire.

Mrs Madzikatire said Ngwenya forged documents and sold the cattle.

“One cow alone attracts a sentence of nine years. You stole 20, and if you are found guilty, you will serve a lengthy prison sentence. Therefore, it is this court’s decision to deny you bail because if granted, you may be tempted to evade prosecution,” she said.

According to the State, as presented by Mrs Tsungai Charmaine Mutapi-Saunyama, Ngwenya acted in collaboration with Muleyi Ndlovu and stole four cattle from a kraal at Number 2 Broad Ekhaya Farm, Imbesu, in Umguza District, on August 18. She said they drove the beasts to Ngwenya’s plot in Ntabazinduna, where she clandestinely re-branded them using an area branding iron on their rear left legs.

Mrs Mutapi-Saunyama said Ngwenya then cleared the stolen cattle with the police and veterinary officers, falsely claiming they were hers. She then sold them to Bulawayo Abattoirs in Kelvin West.

The total value of the missing cattle was US$2 800, and none were recovered.

A week later, Ngwenya and her accomplice allegedly returned to the same farm and stole five cattle, which she again rebranded and sold to the same abattoir in Kelvin West.

On September 8, Ngwenya reportedly stole 11 more cattle from the same farm. But this time, her luck ran out when the complainant intercepted her when she was loading them into a truck belonging to one Trevor Girison. Her accomplice Ndlovu fled the scene, but Ngwenya was arrested. The complainant managed to recover nine of the 11 cattle.

Mrs Mutapi-Saunyama said the State had gathered evidence linking Ngwenya to the crimes, including stock clearance certificates, movement permits for the stolen cattle, and CCTV footage showing her receiving payments at the abattoir.

Additionally, Mrs Mutapi-Saunyama pointed out discrepancies in Ngwenya’s stock register, showing she had sold more bulls than she owned, with her last bull sold in 2022.

In a related case, another suspected cattle rustler, Bhekilizwe Nyathi, who allegedly stole and slaughtered five cattle before being captured in a collaborative effort between residents, neighbourhood watch committee members, and police after trying to flee, was also denied bail.

He too was remanded in custody to September 27. The State, represented by Ms Siphiwe Mhlanga opposed bail, arguing that he was a flight risk based on the circumstances of his arrest.

Nyathi was represented by lawyers, Mr Tapiwa Solani of Sengweni Legal Practice, and Ms Constance Mathaba of Makiya and Partners, who lost his bail bid.

Nyathi (43) was arrested during a coordinated operation between the police, neighbourhood watch committee members, residents, and the business community. His two accomplices escaped, prompting police to launch a manhunt.

The State alleged that on August 27, a member of the neighbourhood watch committee noticed a suspiciously parked vehicle in Nkulumane suburb.

The vehicle was parked outside the yard of the neighbourhood watch committee member’s workplace.

When he went to investigate, he noticed that the car’s load box was full of cattle carcasses. The neighbourhood watch committee member requested to see a permit from the driver that authorised him to carry the carcasses. The other two suspects tried to bribe him before fleeing.

The court heard that they assaulted the neighbourhood watch committee member with the back of an axe on the mouth. After the assault, they jumped onto the back of the vehicle and held onto the canopy as the driver tried to speed off.

Members of the public gave chase and the vehicle stopped in Nkulumane 12 where the culprits fled on foot. Members of the public managed to apprehend Nyathi and took him to Nkulumane Police Station.

Investigations revealed that the cattle were stolen from a farmer in Hope Fountain on the outskirts of Bulawayo. The owner of the stolen cattle managed to positively identify the carcasses through markings.