Community police recover 12 stolen cattle

NSULUTANE – After an increase in cattle rustling in the Lubombo region, the community police have found stolen cattle at Nsulutane near Sikhuphe.

According to the community police in the area, the cattle were stolen from different homesteads around the area by a suspected syndicate which sells the cattle to butcheries in Manzini.
On Tuesday, community police, together with residents went on a search at Njojane and the operation paid off as they were able to recover a herd of 12 of cattle.

Water Mabuza, a community policewoman and leader of the search party, said the herd of 12 cattle was found in a kraal at Njojane.
“We were led to the kraal by a suspect who is currently in police custody. After getting information, we confronted a suspect who, in turn, did not waste our time but led us to the cattle.

Here are three of the recovered cattle but the others are already with their owners,” Mabuza  said while pointing at three cattle. Sibongile Nhleko, another community police, said she could not give a precise figure of the stolen cattle. “Since the beginning of the month, reports of stolen cattle have increased. You find that each and every homestead around here has a missing cow,” she said.

Yesterday morning, residents convened outside the kraal in which the recovered cattle are kept and deliberated on what could be done to fight cattle rustling in the area.
Those who attended the meeting included former Senator Robert Zwane and Seven days Tsabedze, also a former constituency councillor (bucopho).

Interviewed later, Tsabedze said the significance of the meeting was to hatch new plans to fight cattle rustling in the area.
“In our case, it is easy to fight cattle rustling since we are not closer to the border. The rustlers are locals who are operating as a syndicate. We just need to find all the members of the syndicate,” said Tsabedze. During the meeting, residents resolved that community police should go to the police station and request that the police allow the suspect to talk to them. They said this is the only way the suspect could disclose the names of his companions.

Meanwhile, police Public Relations Officer (PRO) Superintendent Wendy Hleta confirmed that Mandla Dlamini, the man who led the community police to the stolen cattle, is in police custody.

Hleta said: “There are cases of stolen cattle which were reported at  Mpaka Police Post, Dlamini with another man from Hlane, are currently being investigated over a case of one stolen cow”.

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