2 WIDOWS’ 11 CATTLE POISONED, STABBED

Magareth Sibandze’s grandson Sifiso Dladla showing our reporter the carcass of one of the dead cattle which was believed to have been poisoned.

BHADZENI – Two widows are distraught after 11 of their cattle were stabbed and poisoned by people they believe to be from their community.
The widows, Magareth Sibandze and Sebenzile Mndzebele, said they are as good as dead because the cattle were their source of life.

Both said they used to milk the cows and would sell some of the milk.
Explaining why they believed that the cattle were poisoned, they said when trying to salvage meat from the remains, there was a foul smell, which only meant one thing. 
The cattle, according to the widows, had been left to go graze on a Sunday morning and they were shocked the following day to be woken up by a neighbour, informing them that the cattle had been found dead. 
The remains of the cattle were discovered by residents not far from the widows’ homesteads.

Sibandze and Mndzbele are neighbours.  Mndzebele said she had lost at least E35 000 following the death of her cattle.
They suspect that the cattle were stabbed and poisoned because they had strayed into another person’s vegetable garden.

“We used to milk some of the cattle and also use the manure for other purposes. The killing of the cattle has left us with wounds,” said Sibandze and that she had a suspect in mind.
“I am disappointed. My cattle were stabbed in the eyes and all over the body after they strayed into the garden and ate some of the vegetables like cabbages and spinach. Last year, a cow was killed with a bush knife after it had eaten cabbages and that is why we suspect that ours could have strayed into someone’s fields. Why else would a person be so brutal so as to slay all the cattle?” she wondered.

When asked what happened in the previous case, she said the person who allegedly killed a cow last year was summoned and made to refund the owner.
“One of my cattle was found with four stab wounds in the body. My kraal is empty now. My cattle were worth E40 000, there were two bulls and four cows. Some of the cattle had injuries in the back and had the eyes removed or pushed in.”
Sibandze said they found the cattle in a bad state and could only skin one of them from which they managed to salvage some meat but the rest they left for the dogs to feed on.

When asked if they were not afraid of consuming poisoned meat, she said they had no choice and were forced by the pain of seeing their cattle lying dead and their feeling a great sense of loss. 
Mndzebele was also at a loss for words and could hardly contain her emotions as she narrated how she had lost E35 000 worth by the killing of the cattle.

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