Police in Chikwawa have expressed concern over rising cases of cattle rustling in the district.
The police expressed their concern after recovering 33 head of cattle believed to have been stolen from neighbouring Mozambique.
Four people—two Malawians and two Mozambicans—have been arrested in connection with the theft.
Chikwawa Police Station officer-in-charge Macmillan Nyirongo said of the recovered animals, 22 were intercepted at Changoima Village, seven at Tomali and six at Ngabu. The areas are close to the Mozambique border with Malawi.
He said: “Police managed to intercept the cattle within a period of two days after being tipped-off by members of the public.”
The recovery of the cattle and the arrests follow an outcry from farmers in the district accusing police of not doing enough to protect their livestock.
Meanwhile, cattle ranch owners in the district have joined forces with Shire Valley Livestock Association to find lasting solutions to curb cattle theft.
Recently, director of animal health and livestock in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Bernard Chimera indicated that animal theft, poor feeding methods, foot and mouth disease and lack of reliable markets were some of the major challenges affecting livestock production in the country.
He said: “As a country, we have a few animals, 1.3 million cattle and 3.4 million goats. We need to work hard to improve on this and ensure that farmers have better markets to sell their animals.” n
