By Patience Gondo
STOCKTHEFT cases in Beitbridge have significantly declined in the first quarter of 2026, with police attributing the reduction to strengthened collaboration between law enforcement agents and community based anti-crime initiatives.
Officer Commanding Beitbridge Police District Chief Superintendent Mesuli Ncube on Tuesday said reported cattle theft cases fell from 16 recorded between January and March last year to 6 during the same period this year.
He applauded the Business Against Stock Theft (BAST) committee, led by chairperson Maxwell Ngwenya for playing a key role in curbing the crime.
“Let’s continue working together to fight stock theft cases,” he said
Ncube, spoke high of the importance of sustained partnerships between police and communities.
Ngwenya said despite the decline, stock theft remains a concern, particularly involving goats which are often stolen and smuggled across borders.
He said coordinated efforts by BAST have led to successful recoveries of stolen livestock.
“As a team, we managed to recover 30 goats from South Africa and another 30 from Botswana,” he said.
He added that support from Zimbabweans in the diaspora has strengthened their operations, enabling quicker responses to reported cases.
The organisation has since acquired a motorbikes to improve mobility and reaction time when attending to incidents.
Ngwenya said communities should report cases promptly and adopt preventative measures such as livestock branding and proper identification.
“In Matabeleland South, cattle farming is our main economic activity. Let us protect it through timely reporting, branding and proper livestock identification,” he said.
Stock theft has long been a major criminal challenge in Beitbridge and the wider Matabeleland South Province, with cattle and goats being the primary targets.
Rustlers often steal livestock from grazing areas or kraals before slaughtering them in nearby bushes or transporting them to informal markets and across the Limpopo River into neighbouring countries.
In July 2025, police dismantled a major stock theft syndicate that had been operating for over a year, arresting 12 suspects including rustlers, buyers and a transporter.
The group was linked to the theft and slaughter of 41 cattle.
The Police have also recorded a series of related convictions.
In May 2025, a local man was sentenced to 24 months in prison for stealing donkeys, while another offender received a six-month jail term for stealing a goat and selling the meat back to its owner.
The situation has at times turned violent, with reports of rustlers attacking both police officers and community members during recovery operations.
In another case in November 2024, a suspect was linked to an illegal abattoir in Tongwe where 25 animals were slaughtered.
Livestock remains a critical source of livelihood for rural households in Beitbridge, making stock theft a serious economic threat.
In response, communities have formed Anti-Stock Theft Committees to work closely with police, monitor grazing areas and border zones and report suspicious activities.
Illegal crossing points along the Limpopo River continue to be identified as key routes used to move stolen livestock and meat into neighbouring countries, underscoring the need for continued vigilance and cross-border cooperation.