By Musa Simelane | 2024-11-09
In a bizarre occurrence in recurring cattle rustling episodes in the country, eight cows stolen from a Mnisi family in Gege under the Shiselweni region were discovered crammed inside a small house across the border in South Africa.
The unlikely recovery was made possible by the vigilant efforts of the Wanya Tsotsi group, a grassroots organization renowned for combating livestock theft in rural communities. Using their extensive network and rapid communication via WhatsApp, the group tracked the stolen cattle and coordinated with their South African counterparts to locate them in an unexpected hideout at a homestead near Piet Retief. Chairman of Wanya Tsotsi Gege branch, Sifiso Msibi, explained that they were alerted by the family that one evening their cattle kraal remained empty.
The cattle were stolen while grazing on the pastures. They disappeared without a trace for about three days and search parties across four communities (Gege, Sicunusa, Lushikishini and Macudvulwini where Wanya Tsotsi operates) plus those in South Africa were mobilized. As pictures of the livestock and their registration were posted on the group’s WhatsApp network, it was only a matter of a short period before they were found. The chairman said their South African counterparts left no stone unturned and this led to one of the suspects. “We were led into a homestead where there stood a house, which when opened it was found filled with the very cattle we were looking for.
We were shocked by this ingenuity to fit a herd in a house. There were cows everywhere. That is how we found the herd and returned it to its rightful owners,” shared Msibi. Meanwhile, the inventiveness of cattle rustlers in the neighbouring country seems to be ever growing because in one of the association’s recent video footages, a man of Asian descent was discovered to have hidden freshly slaughtered cuts of a cow under a pile of snacks and other supplies for his shop. The video shows Wanya RSA members armed with sjamboks ordering the man to remove some of the wares in the back of the van. Quickly, he gets to where the meat is and pulls out huge chucks and shows them to the association members. It is also not unheard of for a cow to be hidden in an ambulance in RSA. On the plains of Gege in the Shiselweni region where livestock is a vital source of income and pride for many families, Wanya Tsotsi has helped recover over 100 stolen cattle and goats in the last two to five years. Accessibility They have successfully harnessed WhatsApp to become a critical tool in combating one of the biggest age old problems in rural Eswatini – cattle rustling. By leveraging the connectivity and accessibility of this popular messaging platform, the group has created a digital network that enables rapid communication, real-time alerts, and coordinated efforts among community members and authorities.
The outcome of this is that stolen cattle along the Gege and Lushikishini communities, bordering with Piet Retief in South Africa, are identified and recovered in a short space of time. This initiative not only highlights the potential of technology in combating rural crime, but also showcases the power of community-driven solutions in safeguarding livelihoods. Elaborating on this initiative Msibi (chairman) said it was founded in Piet Retief, South Africa in 2017 with the main focus on curbing the stealing of livestock and identifying the culprits and take them to law enforcement authorities.
He said livestock rustling was very rampant then, as cattle and goats were disappearing everyday while grazing on the pastures or while in their kraals in the middle of the night. “Each homestead with cattle and goats were complaining everyday about missing livestock, and to be honest, as community watchers, we were struggling to cope with the crime. But then sometime in 2018, we decided to import and adopt the Wanya Tsotsi concept after hearing about it. It was a natural thing to join up with the mother body in RSA because after all, our stolen animals were being driven across the border most of the time. There, they were either slaughtered or sold at auctions,” stated Msibi. Gege folks were not the only ones who adopted Wanya Tsotsi, but the Lushikishini community in Mankayane as well. There were two more communities, Sicunusa and Macudulwini that followed suit, three to four years ago. These four communities, recognising the need for a collective approach against cattle rustling, have been collaborating under the Wanya Tsotsi banner, which can be translated to ‘Thief Beware’. Each community has its own chairman and a committee and they all keep in touch with their counterparts on the South African side. Livestock “For a livestock owner to receive the service we provide, they have to pay a joining fee of E100 and a monthly subscription of E35. We then encourage the owner to take photographs of their livestock along with their Eswatini branding and registration (cow earing). They must be safely kept so that if the animals go missing, their images can be posted to our Wanya Tsotsi WhatsApp groups,” said Msibi. In the unfortunate event the livestock is stolen, the chairman stressed that the owner has to first report it with the police before the association can action on the matter. Working closely with their cross-border partners in South Africa, every member on the ground is alerted to be on the lookout for the missing livestock on both sides of the borderline.
The posted images are critical at this point. He added that most often, the animals are tracked and located either roaming in the woods or at auction sales. There are instances when only the hide is found abandoned in some deserted spot. Sometimes the culprits behind this are also successfully tracked too, detained until the police arrive. Meanwhile, expounding further on how the association operates, chairman for the Lushikishini branch Wonder Thwala said the association relies on community surveillance wherebymembers of each community actively participate in patrolling their shared lands, especially near the border line, where cattle thieves are most likely to cross. This collective surveillance ensures that any suspicious movements are quickly detected and reported. Wanya also relies on communication network, wherebythe communities maintain a robust communication network that allows them to share information swiftly. If one community spots or suspects any activity related to cattle rustling, they alert the others immediately.
This network is essential for real-time response and also creates a sense of collective vigilance. WanyaTsotsi also collaborates closely with law enforcement such as police and members of the army on both sides of the border, helping to streamline responses to any incidents of theft. By providing crucial information and working in tandem with authorities, they ensure that law enforcement can act swiftly when rustling occurs. In Eswatini, even imiphakatsi (royal kraals) are notified for their endorsement. “Before we started Wanya Tsotsi in Lushikishini in 2018, cattle rustling was at its height. Owners would wake up in the morning and find their kraals empty. A family had 19 cattle stolen but less than 10 were recovered. Another had a kraal of 17 cows cleaned out,” stated Thwala. But ever since becoming party to Wanya Tsotsi, the chairman said the rate of cattle rustling had declined. There is a high vigilance in the communities. He said their South African counterparts were very instrumental in dealing with this crime since most of local livestock is rustled to the neighbouring country. There are instances when South African branded cattle wander into kingdom too, especially when the border fence is broken. Through the associations WhatsApp network, the owners get to identify them and assisted to have them returned. While the Wanya Tsotsi initiative has been effective in curbing livestock rustling, according to its local members, it still faces some challenges, which include limited resources in its membership, such as cell phones, data, tool and garments suitable for harsh seasons.
Also, sometimes partnerships with law enforcements can be inconsistent due to limited resources (vehicles) and delayed responses. It is also sometimes difficult for cash-strapped community members to keep up with subscriptions.
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