Police close 112 butcheries

By Nqobile Tshili

Police have shut down 112 illegal butcheries and arrested 51 people in a two-week countrywide blitz to curb stock theft.

The National Co-ordinator, Anti-Stock Theft unit, Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza, said errant operators were nabbed in an operation code named Inyama liyithethe ngaphi/nyama yabvepi, which ended on March 27.

He said the operation targeted illegal butcheries as they are the major buyers of stolen cattle.

“The operation has seen 51 cattle rustlers being arrested.

“We also arrested 2,160 people with crimes related to stock theft. We recovered 897kg of stolen meat while 112 illegal butcheries were shutdown,” Snr Asst Comm Makodza said.

He said police recovered 73 stolen cattle, 58 goats as well as three donkeys during the crackdown.

Snr Asst Comm Makodza said the operation was aimed at discouraging butcheries from buying meat without knowing its origins.

“We were targeting the markets where these thieves are disposing stolen meat as well as highways where the stock will be conveyed through. We were also targeting some restaurants where people are illegally serving food without obtaining proper licences,” he said.

Snr Asst Comm Makodza said they fined 1,470 people for illegal handling of meat. He urged businesses to support the government’s economic blueprint Zim-Asset’s food and nutrition cluster.

“Let’s support Zim-Asset genuinely and honestly but those that are greedy and want to steal the wealth of other people like farmers, will face the wrath of the law,” Snr Asst Comm Makodza said.

In efforts to fight stock theft, police have gone on a nationwide campaign to promote personal branding of cattle. The police have also lobbied the government to introduce stiffer sentences of up to 18 years for those buying stolen cattle. The Chronicle