Shepherding the cattle

It was only one-way: The boys will immediately receive two or three strokes as a sharp reminder never to repeat it. This was the elders’ first line in many attempts to inculcate a sense of responsibility and accountability on the boys, for the future engagements. In other circumstances, even the girls shouldered the responsibility to follow the animals.

Whether kept for milk or beef, cattle formed a crucial part of the rural economies as it supported many families differently.

Botswana’s rural economy is mainly anchored upon subsistence farming and tilling of the soil. As it is the case, cattle form part of the crucial fabric of everyday life for Batswana. A person earns respect or scorn depending on the size of his or her kraal and the quality of the stock and or the borehole.

Perhaps, as an aide-memoire to the citizens, a bull’s head is included alongside other national symbols whereupon a bull’s head symbolises the importance of the cattle industry in the country’s economy.

In some corners of the country, commercially oriented farming is the other realm that farming in the country continues to take and employ some locals and support other industries.

Once the boys disappear into the thickets (and in some cases, their sisters) following the domesticated animals, if anything goes wrong, the assumption is simply that the boys chose to play their games at the expense of perfectly looking after the animals.

In most cases, it turned out to be a lesson well learnt. Sometimes the elders will choose some of the wildest cows to be shepherded, which will give the boys and girls a run around throughout the day hiding under thick canopies of thorny trees such as mokoba or acacia burkei or acacia negriscens and many other hostile trees.

Out in the thickets, there were many distractions and temptations. During the rainy season, one of the major distractions was swimming in the muddy waters of ponds, which often times left a permanent and easily identifiable mark as the pond water was rarely pure to leave one diametrically clean. Another distraction was hunting for birds, which could send boys from one tree to another removing their attention from the primary assignment.

Looking after livestock was indeed an eye opener and an experience that could not be traded for anything as it raised men and women. It was the task of the elderly men in most cases to train the boys in particular to naturally grow the acquired skill of perfectly looking after and keeping livestock.

Boys quickly learnt how to milk cows or goats and also learnt the general upkeep of animals including the frequent visits to the boreholes to water the animals and other related errands. This intimacy with the livestock and the environment quickly helped the boys to adapt. The young men were trained to identify hooves of their animals as they criss-crossed with others out there as they pastured. Another interesting aspect was making a distinction of the moo sounds of their cows from the rest of the cattle. This is besides mastering the brand and earmarks which are key identification marks.

From time immemorial, Batswana treated rearing cattle like a symbol of pride and wealth. Some families preferred bride price to be paid in the form of live cattle whilst others preferred cash equivalent.

Families with large herds of cattle lived large through the support of the herds they owned. They enjoyed milk - both fresh and sour or madila as it is called in the vernacular. In many areas across the country even today, it is common that upon introducing oneself to the elders they will be interested to know your family and whether it rears cattle, how many of them and if the family has its own borehole.

There was also an element of unity and cooperation amongst the herd boys when they met at the grazing grounds and at the cattle posts. And most interestingly, the cattle posts were so welcoming that just outside the compounds at what is normally called a kgotla, or the fire place (usually horse shoe shaped) there will be a tree where a bucket full of milk will be dangled with a cup which welcomes visitors to every cattle post to help themselves to the fresh milk without preservatives.

Across the cattle posts, people knew each other and new visitors were easily introduced to each other especially at the boreholes and at the kraals or at gumba-gumba parties where badisa or shepherds mingled on the dusty dance floor or gambled over a risky game of chance or dice that usually divided the winners and losers of the betting game. Even when a cow has strayed to other kraals or borehole, a report would quickly be made and the cow safely collected.

In modern Botswana, with growth in technology, which has simplified communication, farmers are expected to do well in terms of managing their livestock against predators and cattle rustlers.

But, stock theft seems to be a problem that is keeping the police and the communities on their toes as they combat stock theft, which has become worryingly prevalent.

It was perhaps, the birth of Kgomu-Khumo, anti stock theft crusade in 2018, that has become a game changer in an endeavour to preach and inculcate a sense of responsibility and accountability in the farming community to take good care of their livestock.

Kgomo-Khumo is a noun formed by adding a root word to a verb or adjective in a process called noun formation.

As articulated by Botswana Police Service (BPS) spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police Dipheko Motube this week, the police came to the realisation that Batswana, small and commercial farmers, were losing their hard earned cattle to opportunistic rustlers who sold them just for a song after many years of investment. As stock theft spread like wild fire, the then deputy commissioner of police Dinah Marathe, who now heads the Botswana Correctional Services (BCS) told a Kgomo-Khumo meet in October, 2018: “Farmers and community members do not look after their livestock, the police alone will not manage as cases of stock theft will not be reduced anytime soon.” She also encouraged farmers to hire responsible herdsmen to look after their assets-cattle. She would also appeal to the farmers across the districts to always know their cattle, as that would reduce cases of stock theft.

Motube concurs with Marathe that the responsibility of looking after livestock should not be limited to herdsmen and the police as that is when the opportunistic criminals jump in.

The police spokesperson has no doubt about training that the police receive to combat all acts of crime including stock theft.

“The police are taught just everything for their policing. Combating stock theft is as old as the BPS itself. From time immemorial, police stations across the country had teams dedicated to fighting stock theft led by the Station Commander,” he explained and added that: “The approach was from a general perspective and not at the level of Kgomo-Khumo intervention.”

But, as stock theft continued to grow in sophistication, Kgomo-Khumo as anti stock theft, concept was formed in 2018 to match the sophistication in the growth of the crime.

The police’s main worry was that some people had turned crime into a somewhat paying career or money-spinner of some sort. Motube says they came to realise that some of the criminals have employees and offices where they launched their operations, with bosses and a wider web of connections.

“We noted it was repeat offenders, just a group of criminals-rapists, robbers, habitual house breakers and others. As they reaped a lot from crime, they turned crime into a career,” he told Mmegi in an interview from Palapye.

Shocking about the cattle rustlers is that upon arrest, information shows that they are also wanted for other offences or have been released on bail pending trial.

Kgomo-Khumo, a highly publicised operation came into being amongst others after realising that the national herd, which currently stands at about 1.7 million cattle, was diminishing as a result of rustling somewhere around 2017. Motube says amongst others, cattle diseases were blamed as well as lack of proper farming methods.

The anti stock theft outfit came into being to provide answers instead of relying on second-guessing a problem when solutions could be found.

He describes livestock as the livelihood for every Motswana and a revenue earner. By combating the scourge of cattle rustling, Motube is upbeat that the police continue to save a lot. Kgomo-Khumo operatives continue to arrest offenders and bring them before justice. The operation has cracked open an underground and thriving illegal operation for stock thieves and cut the seemingly well-established supply chain.

Intelligence that the police gathered indicated that zero tooth cattle were highly targeted as juicy beef in the black market. Butchery operators and street vendors and people who sold meat in their houses were a deliberate route that channelled stolen beef.

The police raided and closed some of the illegally operating butcheries and vendors operating in the streets and by this, the supply chain was killed.

The police were shocked upon noticing who was operating the butcheries, as it turned out that the majority of them are civil servants and some from the private sector who are familiar with the law.

“Some of our findings reflect that some illegal butchery operators and street vendors will call cattle rustlers to bring stock and supply them at very cheap prices,” said Motube. The police witnessed cattle carcasses exchanging hands at a song just at an instant.

Motube also realised that communication, transport and all the logistics of delivering stolen cattle, are fully organised and well sponsored. For the longest time, Palapye and Mahalapye were the go to places as people from as far as Gaborone bought beef at very prices of about P32 per kg when in actual fact in the Greater Gaborone areas, beef cost about P59 per kg. As a result, people placed orders between Mahalapye and Palapye and their orders would be delivered by a bus. A whole fully grown cattle carcass was sold for a song at about P1, 500 and the buyers will make a lot of money out of the deal maybe about 10 times or more profit.

“Animal production was crippled as even pregnant cows were killed indiscriminately and the foetus thrown away and the meat sold cheaply. At this rate, nothing will really be left for the future,” bemoaned Motube.

At the end of it all, Motube is adamant and echoed the words of Marathe: “Let’s go back to proper methods of keeping our stock and keep a close eye on the livestock as these thieves are everywhere to pounce on the stock.”

His reminder to farmers and buyers of cheap meat in the black market is that: “Section 10 of the Stock Theft stipulates that anyone who wants to sell beef should do so at a butchery to take care of issues of livestock diseases and others.”

Since the inception of Kgomo-Khumo operation, about 1, 245 people have been arrested within the areas of Palapye, Mahalapye, Tswapong North and South, Shoshong, which are listed as hotspots of stock theft.

A breakdown of arrests

and convictions

In 2018 when Kgomo-Khumo was at Sekoma village, 247 people were arrested and 15 convicted

2018 when the operation was held at Lephepe village, 167 arrests were made and 51 convicted

2019 when the operation was at Shakawe village, 279 arrests made and 16 convicted

2019 when operation was at Gantsi township, 121 arrests were made and 18 convictions

2022 when the operation was at Rakops, 40 arrests were made and three convictions

2023 when the operation was in the Southern district, 221 arrests were made with 31 convictions

2023 when the operation was at Mahalapye/Palapye 190 arrests made with 19 convictions so far From the ongoing operation that is widespread in Mahalapye, Palapye and surrounding areas including Goodhope and other areas, the police have through Kgomo-Khumo salvaged stolen beef and live cattle valued at about P488, 000 and expect more out of the operation.

Motube was, however, worried that the wheels of justice were moving slowly as there are still cases before court from as far as 2019. The police spokesperson recently found himself rolling on the ground at Lerala kgotla whilst a case of stock theft was ongoing in what left some villagers thinking that he might be bewitched. “Recently when some stock theft cases were ongoing in Lerala a blue-headed reptile fell inside my uniform forcing me to roll on the floor trying to remove the reptile which took a bit of time,” explained the police spokesperson who indicated that some of the villagers warned him that he was being bewitched, reports that he dismissed. Motube is optimistic that with cooperation from the community that they serve, Kgomo-Khumo is destined to reap positive results and help even the national herd to recover from stagnation that it suffered.