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MALINDZA - Stray cattle are to blame for the numerous road accidents in the country. According to long serving Bucopho of Malindza and also leader of community police, Seven Days Tsabedze, stray cattle are behind the death of numerous people in the country.
Speaking to Eswatini News, Tsabedze said, as a community police leader, he had watched a lot of accidents which had resulted to loss of lives, which had been caused by cattle along the Manzini-Siteki Road in the past year.
“What is disturbing the most is that these cattle belong to residents in this area and we have tried numerous times to engage them by calling community meetings, but the situation is not getting better,” opined Tsabedze.
“The King, during the Buganu Ceremony at Hlane, stated that he was not happy to see stray cattle on the roads, especially in
Malindza, and said it was up to us as the community to address this matter urgently because nobody deserves to lose his or her life due to stray cattle,” further said Tsabedze. A domestic animal is considered ‘stray’ when its owner no longer claims ownership or its owner cannot be determined.
Stray cattle pose a number of threats to residents and animal welfare in both urban and rural areas.
They have been known to feed on standing crops as well as attacking human beings.
“Stray cows are a frequent cause of road accidents in cities, where they crowd roads.
AttAcks
“Cow attacks on pedestrians and vehicles often become deadly. Stationary cows on the road are a cause of frequent deadly road accidents in Eswatini.
“Cattle dung also creates a road hazard for pedestrians and two-wheeled vehicles, that may slip on it,” Tsabedze pointed out. The leader of the community police, who disclosed that he took over the reins after the demise of former Senator
Robert Zwane, said there was a meeting in the pipeline whereby residents and members of the Royal Eswatini Police (REPS), would be present to find a lasting and binding solution to bring an end to this problem.
“The police will be present and it is high time we come up with a binding solution that will decrease the number of the accidents on the roads.
“We have realised that since community police have dealt with cattle rustling in this area, the cattle owners are now relaxed and they no longer take care of their livestock,” lamented Tsabedze.
According to
Tsabedze, punitive measures would be discussed during the all important meeting, which will be held at the end of this month.
tirelessly
“Community police members work tirelessly on the roads, during the day and night, removing livestock that are straying on the roads.
“Stray cattle on the roads are a serious challenge nationally, and it must be dealt with urgently,” Tsabedze further pointed out.
Meanwhile, he advised cattle owners to urgently take drastic measures that would see their animals away from the country’s roads.