RESIDENTS of Makambo village in Monze district have complained about the trend of cattle thefts in the area.

Cattle thefts irritate Monze’s Makambo villagers

RESIDENTS of Makambo village in Monze district have complained about the trend of cattle thefts in the area.

Years back, cattle rustling was not as rampant as is the situation in chief Monze’s Makambo village now.

These days, the trend is such that unrepentant cattle rustlers are, almost night in, night out, targeting kraals to isolate the best of people’s cows, for a journey to the abattoir.

Cattle owners told Kalemba recently that such thefts are forcing them to stay awake in the cold, guarding their livestock – a symbol of undoubted wealth, especially among the Tonga people.

Nsondo Mweemba, whose kraal was twice strayed into by cattle rustlers, told Kalemba that they (thieves) have designed a tactic of capturing and slaughtering the cows.

“They fill a cow’s mouth with leaves to prevent it from lowing (making a moo sound) and then slaughter it,” Mweemba explained, in Chitonga.

He added that thieves then head to the nearest towns to sell the beef, to unsuspecting butcheries.

“Each month, at least three or four cases of cattle theft from Makambo village are reported. Unfortunately, the thieves are always unknown and not caught,” noted Mweemba.

There are currently about 30 cattle-owning households in Makambo village.

Other locals spoken to pointed to sparse population as the reason for insecurity in the area.

By Buumba Mwitumwa

Kalemba