Goat thieves leave communal farmers counting losses

UMZINGWANE District in Matabeleland South has good pastures for goats due to its good grass and thorny bushes.

Communal goat farming has been a source of livelihood and iron for many in the province.  However, their source of livelihood is threatened by goat rustlers.

Mrs Marvis Nkomo of Nswazi area lost six goats to rustlers recently.

“We have had our livestock disappearing without a trace for many years. We used to think that the goats would have been attacked by wild animals such as jackals yet our area is not a wildlife hotspot,” she said.

Another villager Mr Mandlenkosi Ndlovu said he plans to sell his goats to avoid losses. For Mr Ndlovu, indications show that the rustlers often strike at night or when the goats are grazing.

The most affected villages in Umzingwane are Nswazi, Newline, Kumbudzi, Munkula and Zidlabusuku. Another villager Mr Senzeni Moyo said rustlers were also poisoning their dogs so that they steal their goats undisturbed.

“You hear the dogs barking at night, and all of a sudden there would be silence, and the next morning we find our goats missing,” he said.

Samuel Dube of NewLine said he suspected that illegal gold-panners were behind the spate of livestock theft in his area.

“Our concerns are that many youths in the area dropped out of school opting for illegal mining where a lot of criminal activities which include stock theft are committed.”

According to Farmers Review Africa, the demand for goat meat is increasing. Many communal farmers in the province are turning to goat breeding after losing their cattle to the unpredictable weather patterns.

Goats can survive on shrubs and need less manpower for tending to, making them a better choice than high-maintenance cattle, which are less tolerant of drought conditions.

It is estimated that the country has 3,1 million goats, more than 80% percent of which are owned by communal farmers, the Goat Breeders Association of Zimbabwe says.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Loveness Mangena said villagers must form anti-livestock theft committees involving the police to deal with the vice.

“We encourage villagers to brand their stock, pen them and do regular checks of such stock. They must join village anti stock theft committees and report all stolen stock early to police.” —Citizen bulletin