Senior Assistant Commissioner Abigail Moyo hands out client service charter booklets to villagers in Zhombe last Friday
Patience Mutsiwi, Midlands Reporter
STOCK THEFT cases in the Midlands Province have declined by 37 percent so far this year on last year’s figure.
From January to date 529 cases were recorded compared to 842 cases during the same period last year.
Officially launching the Police Client Service Charter and Cattle Branding at Joel Business Centre in Zhombe last Friday, the officer commanding police Midlands Province, Senior Assistant Commissioner Abigail Moyo said the police force was committed to safeguarding farmers’ livestock, especially cattle.
“This year from January to October 529 cattle were stolen as compared to 842 cattle stolen during the same period last year translating to a 37 percent decrease. I believe if the cattle branding initiative is taken seriously cases of stock-theft involving cattle will decrease and also strays would be identified easily,” she said.
Snr Ass Com Moyo said about 80 cattle rustlers were arrested in the province this year in what she said was confirmation that the community and the police were effectively joining hands to reduce crime.
She said the re- launched cattle branding exercise in Zhombe is an attempt to reduce stock theft in the province in particular and the country in general.
Cattle branding was launched in the province in 2011.
“All the cattle should be branded for identification purposes and to reduce stock theft. Branding has proved to be the most ideal way of reducing stock theft among other measures. I’m happy to note that the cattle branding initiative has been received positively throughout the Midlands province,” she said.
Branding, Snr Ass Com Moyo said, allows owners of stray cattle to easily identify their livestock using unique brand names and numbers.
As part of the cattle branding system, farmers are issued with branding certificates which are fed into a computerised system.
This, Snr Ass Comm Moyo said, will make it easy to locate the owners of stray or stolen cattle at the touch of a button anywhere in the country.
“Let me take this opportunity to encourage farmers here present to apply for personal brand certificates and urge you to have the universal branding iron. If we work together tirelessly the government economic blue print, Zim-Asset cluster on Food and Nutrition would be achieved. We are hoping that by the end of next year all the cattle in Zimbabwe will be branded,” she said.
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