HARARE — Zimbabwean police have arrested 5,780 people in a nationwide crackdown on livestock-related offences, although only 86 were arrested for stock theft, police have revealed.
The operation, code-named Stock Thief Hot Pursuit, began on October 1 and has also resulted in the recovery of 117 cattle, 31 goats and 23 donkeys.
National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi (pictured) said the figures, recorded as of October 14, showed that 5,694 people were arrested for other livestock-related offences.
Harare recorded the highest number of arrests at 1,860, followed by Mashonaland West with 701, Mashonaland Central with 604 and Bulawayo with 536.
Mashonaland East recorded 481 arrests, including 26 for stock theft, the highest number of theft-related arrests reported in any province.
Manicaland recorded 445 arrests, Masvingo 418, Midlands 391, Matabeleland South 244 and Matabeleland North 100.
Police also seized 1,554 kilogrammes of beef, 102.5kg of chicken, 160kg of fish, 21.5kg of goat meat and 31kg of pork, along with smaller quantities of other meat products.
According to Nyathi, 5,698 offenders paid deposit fines, 56 were taken to court, 25 remained in police custody and one was released into parental custody.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police informs the public that Operation Stock Thief Hot Pursuit, which commenced on 1 October 2026, is yielding positive results countrywide,” Nyathi said.
Police warned against moving cattle and other livestock at night and urged communities to report suspicious activities.
The crackdown comes amid continued concerns over livestock theft, illegal slaughter and the sale of meat from uninspected sources.
In Bulawayo, police recorded 74 stock theft cases between January and June 2026, a 21 percent decline compared with the same period last year.
Authorities have also raised concerns about cross-border livestock theft involving criminal networks operating between Zimbabwe and neighbouring South Africa and Botswana.
Under Zimbabwean law, stock theft can attract a mandatory nine-year prison sentence per beast, subject to applicable legal exceptions.
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