Rampant stock theft frustrates 
Erongo and Otjozondjupa farmers

FARMERS maintaining healthy relations with their employees is an important step to ensure stock theft cases in the country are reduced, said Namibian Police spokesperson Kauna Shikwambi.

Shikwambi was speaking to about reports of stock theft from frustrated farmers in the Erongo and Otjozondjupa regions recently.

This year, farmers in the Kalkfeld and Omaruru area lost about N$324 000 worth of cattle. The amount could be even higher if unborn calves from pregnant cows are included.

Shikwambi said in October, there were 41 cases of stock theft reported in the Otjozundjupa and Erongo regions, with 29 arrests.

“It is revealed through investigation of certain cases that suspects are previous workers. Some workers are collaborating with criminals; inside jobs as they are known, thereby directing them into your farms to loot,” she said.

Shikwambi believes healthier working relations are important to cultivate in order to avoid theft.

She said some workers who fall out of favour with their employers, or leave, become aggrieved and return to the farm to cause problems.

“In most cases they know the entire stock as well as the owners’ movements, hence they may take advantage.”

Shikwambi advised farmers to get involved in the day-to-day activities of their workers, to patrol with them, count stock daily and not to employ herders without authentication or referral.

Farmer Albert Koch says recently three pregnant cows were slaughtered on his farm Omukandi, while another cow came to the water place with a wire-snare around its neck.

“As our worker was searching for the missing cows, he found the slaughter place in the bush, and most probably disturbed the thieves, causing them to flee. We never caught them. The meat was prepared into biltong and was hanging there around the slaughter place, which they just left,” says Koch.

Günter Kahl of the farmers association responsible for Omaruru, Kalkveld, Otjiwarongo, Osire and Waterberg spoke to The Namibian last month and said another factor in the aggravation of stock theft was the burden on the justice system due to too many matters, and lack of staff and resources.

This results in poor justice, he said, where suspects are either released on bail to continue their crimes (regardless of bail conditions), or given small fines.

“Stock theft remains one of the concerning crimes reported in the country. Not only is it a concern to us but to many farmers, be they communal or commercial farmers,” Shikwambi said.

Investigations into any crime are complex, she said.

“For us to succeed in the prevention, detection and investigation of these cases, we need each other’s support to solve crimes. The police cannot fight crime alone; in fact, policing in general cannot exist on its own.”

The Office of the Prosecutor General was approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of going to print.