via Police blitz nets 626 farmers | The Herald by Peter Matambanadzo October 22, 2013
AT least 626 farmers have been arrested countrywide for failing to keep proper records of their livestock, non-dipping of livestock and other related offences. The farmers were arrested under an operation code named “Chengetedzai Zvipfuyo Zviri pamutemo” which started last week.
National Anti-Stock Theft Unit co-ordinator Senior Assistant Commissioner Bernard Dumbura yesterday said the operation was being conducted to ensure that farmers are educated on the need to lawfully keep their livestock and reduce spread of diseases.
“We have so far arrested 137 farmers for failing to produce stock cards, 80 others for non dipping of their livestock while 409 others were arrested for failing to follow the strict requirements that control the identification, tracing and movements of livestock,” Snr Asst Comm Dumbura said.
According to the law, if you own a herd, flock or even a single animal of the most common livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, horses or pigs there are rules that you must follow to stop the spread of diseases.
Snr Asst Comm Dumbura said most farmers arrested failed to keep a proper record of their animals as required by law and were fined.
“The farmers were arrested after the Anti Stock Theft teams visited 73 793 farmers, 803 villages across the country.
“The farmers were fined between US$10 and US$20 each,” he said.
Snr Asst Comm Dumbura said under the operation it was also discovered that 8 016 livestock was not registered and the owners immediately registered them as required by law.
“So far we have a total of 218 201 registered livestock in the 803 villages and 414 districts in the country our anti stock theft teams visited,” he said.
Snr Asst Comm Dumbura said the operation would continue until all provinces are covered.
National Anti-Stock Theft Unit last month conducted an operation code-named, “Nyama yabvepi” to curb cattle rustling.
COMMENTS
Is this why agriculture in Zimbabwe just won’t take off, because the farmers are failing to keep a written record of where there animals have been? How can a government that cannot deliver clean water and reliable electricicty to the masses afford to send inspectors to visit 73,793 farmers? How long did that take? And how much did that cost the state? 626 farmers were fined between $10-$20 each. At an average of $15 per guilty farmer, the program collected $9,390 for all that effort. Was it worth it? How many productive hours of work did the farmers lose while they were dealing with these pesky inspectors? Less time to work the land means the country is less able to feed itself!
If the government spent 1/10th of that effort making sure that people were properly registered to vote and that their vote counted, then there would not have been any problems over the results of the last election.
DL, you have summed it all, Thank You.
Well said DL, our very foolish government is making enormous effort to keep record of livestock when they can’t even produce an updated record of people who voted or were supposed to vote!!
Ivo zvavanotadza kutipa mvura yakachena nemagetsi vakambosungwa nani?
Do they even keep proper records of all adiamonds mined in Chiadzwa? Ngavatibvire kumhepo.
I think we have a problem here people who just like to talk and write without thinking,please if you have no information about certain sectors of the country then ask politely and you would be given the information, so far how many cattle the country has lost owing to various diseases, so cattle must die because the people of Harare do not have adequate water, what about the rural people who are losing cattle daily because of high disease transmission zones?
Are you saying that rural cattle are more important then people? Do you think it’s right that the government’s priorities should be spending money to fine and arrest people for not keeping a written report of where their cattle have been, rather then providing the people with clean drinking water so that they do not get sick?