A survey of livestock theft at Mogonono village in Kweneng District of Botswana

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the causes of livestock theft, its prevalence and impact on livelihoods of people of Mogonono village in Kweneng District. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire which was administered to 30 randomly selected farmers (respondents) and the Botswana Police Service. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS), version 16.0 (2015). Results showed that all respondents experienced livestock theft and 80% of them said it was high. Furthermore, 50% of the respondents stated that cattle were prone to theft than other livestock species. Fifty percent of the respondents said they lost 5 to 15 herds of cattle and goats each in the past five years while 60% stated that stock theft was high in summer compared to other seasons. The age group of 20 to 30 years was mostly involved in livestock theft. About 47% of the respondents used a combination of ear tags and ear notching for animal identification followed by ear notching alone, branding and bolus (36.7%). Two thirds of the respondents identified their animals at 2 to 3 months of age. Additionally, 70% of the respondents ensured safety of their animals by confining them at night, herding and using animal identification followed by confinement at night only (40%) and herding only (7%). Fifty percent of the respondents indicated that livestock theft affected their livelihoods owing to loss of earnings. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents attributed stock theft to high unemployment rate and readily available markets for stolen livestock followed by high unemployment rates only (30%) and unemployment, absence of police in the area and readily available market for stolen livestock (23%). Overall, the respondents were not satisfied with the way government agencies handle livestock theft cases. Eighty-four percent of the respondents mentioned that sentences given to criminals were not harsh to deter them from stealing again. The current results indicate that livestock theft is high in Mogonono village, thus calling for the need to develop strategies to combat this crime.