Local farmer Mr Oscar Sirovha of Makhitha village in the Kutama area was left devastated after finding the remains of his three cows that went missing recently in the bushes at Muraleni. The gruesome discovery was made on Thursday, 27 April.
Sirovha said that he had left his cows grazing in the bushes but later found that some of them were missing. He searched widely but eventually mobilised community members to help him find either the remains of the cattle or the thugs. "A few days later, I discovered my slaughtered cows, less than five kilometres away. All that was left of them were the skins, heads and parts of the intestines. It was like losing my children because I've raised these cows for years. Someone is selling beef and enriching himself, while cattle owners are suffering," Sirovha said.
The local farmers say for anyone to invest in livestock in the area is becoming impossible, with the thieves never getting caught. "No-one knows who did it. Livestock is part of our village strategy to fight poverty and unemployment. If our daily bread is taken away from us, how are we going to survive?" Sirovha asked.
He appealed to anyone with information to contact him or report it to the police. "We can have peace of mind only when the police catch these thugs. In the meantime, we are now forced to stay awake every night to guard our livestock," he said.
Last month, this newspaper reported on the disappearance of the goats of one farmer from Makhitha village, which still have not been found. A fortnight ago, six goats were found tied up with ropes in the bushes at Tshiozwi. The owner was alerted and immediately went to the scene and saved his goats.
The spokesperson for the Makhado police, Sgt Irene Radzilani, confirmed that the police had been called to the scene in the bushes where Sirovha's slaughtered cattle were found, and that they were investigating a case of stock theft. No arrests have been made yet.