Zimbabwe and Botswana have agreed to electronically tag cattle for communities living along their common border as part of efforts to contain rampant theft of the animals in the area, Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe said on Tuesday.
Kazembe told the state-run Chronicle daily that the programme is set to be pioneered along the Mlambaphele border area in Gwanda district, Matabeleland South province.
“Zimbabwe and Botswana agreed that there is a need to electronically tag the cattle along the border, especially here at Mlambaphele where this programme is going to be pioneered,” the minister said.
He said the Zimbabwean authorities are also working towards decentralising the data capturing system for cattle.
“There is need to localise the data capturing system because real time communication is very important when it comes to fighting this scourge of stocktheft,” he said.
Matabeleland South is one of the worst affected areas in Zimbabwe where crossborder stock theft is rampant, often resulting in clashes between communities from both sides of the border.
Reports say at least 30 Botswana farmers cross into the Zimbabwean side through Mlambaphele Border Post every week to look for their stolen cattle.
JN/APA