GWANDA South legislator Omphile Marupi (Zanu PF) says he has engaged information technology (IT) experts on behalf of communal farmers in his constituency for the installation of livestock tracking systems to curb rampant stocktheft cases.
Marupi said adopting modern technologies was necessary in the fight against stocktheft.
“The chip/tag will send a message to the owner through the phone once the movement of the cattle becomes suspicious, enabling the farmer to know and monitor all the movements of their cattle,” he said.
“The use of modern technology in safeguarding our livestock will help reduce the high levels of stocktheft we are experiencing here in Gwanda.”
Marupi, who is the Information, Media and Broadcasting Services deputy minister, added that rampant cases of stocktheft in which daring thieves steal from pens prompted the idea to seek IT livestock monitoring systems.
“This will also reduce cross-border livestock theft which usually happens between Zimbabwe and Botswana and South Africa as well,” he said.
“This will be a free range system in which the farmer will monitor his or her livestock on a mobile phone using the tracker system that is just the same as what is installed on cars.
“There are a number of mechanisms in which the farmer will follow up and monitor the livestock using the application.”
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An Esigodini farmer, Sechaba Dube, welcomed the initiative.
“The second reason is that traceability is security. As an anti-stock theft mechanism, traceability means security apparatus can check how a beast, whose brand is a Matabeleland South one, finds itself in the corner of Mashonaland West and so forth,” he said.
Despite their beasts bearing local brand marks as well as veterinary department, district and provincial brand marks, the farmers have continued counting losses to theft, Dube said.
Matabeleland South province is witnessing a surge in cases of stocktheft.
In August, a cattle rustler was arrested in Bulawayo while driving a vehicle with carcasses of five cattle stolen in Matabeleland South.
