Police recover 36 stolen cattle in Masvingo
POLICE in Masvingo have recovered 36 cattle that were stolen from Chivi and moved to Mwenezi where they were being exchanged for a better breed before being sold to an abattoir.
This was after police received information that 41-year-old Tawanda Masote of Nkomati Village, Chief Chitanga, Mwenezi was an agent for cattle rustlers.
They arrested Masote who denied the allegations but pointed out to the police Jacob Gwenhamo (38) who is currently on remand in Chiredzi over a case of robbery.
He was said to be the one who was bringing cattle from Ngundu in Chivi and exchanging them with farmers in Mwenezi.
Provincial police spokesman for Masvingo Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa confirmed the incident and said some of the 36 cattle have already been positively identified.
“We have been receiving cases of stock theft in Ngundu since 2019 to date. Those cattle were stolen while grazing. Our officers who were investigating these cases received information that Masote was an agent for cattle rustlers. They swooped on him on 18 August and quizzed him on the missing cattle.
“Masote refuted being an agent and revealed that it was Gwenhamo who would bring cattle to farmers in Mwenezi and exchange them for a better breed which he would proceed to sell to an abattoir.”
Insp Dhewa said that they have so far recovered 36 cattle in Mwenezi and five have already been identified. He urged members of the public in areas where such cases were rampant to cooperate with the police and provide tip-offs.
“We applaud the villagers in Mwenezi for their cooperation. They assisted us in recovering the stolen cattle. We encourage other in areas that have similar challenges to cooperate and work together with the police in stopping the cattle rustling scourge.”