Bulilima District bans cattle buyers

THE leadership of Bulilima District has put in place stiffer measures to control activities by illegal cattle buyers operating in the area following concerns that they were depriving council of revenue.

This was after traditional leaders from the area pointed out that cattle buyers were defrauding villagers of their money. Speaking during a stakeholders meeting that was attended by traditional leaders, police, Bulilima Rural District Council officials and councillors, participants pointed out that there was a need to closely monitor private buyers. National House of Assembly Member for Bulilima West Lungisani Nleya said private buyers who were coming into the district had to first pass through council offices.

"If private buyers want to conduct any activities in the district they should first pass through the council offices and collect an approval letter. Thereafter the buyer can proceed to the traditional leadership of the particular villager. At community level no one should entertain a buyer who does not have approval from council and has not been cleared by local leadership. After buying cattle a private buyer has to pay a levy to the council before receiving a permit from the Vet Department," he said.

He said police officers had to ensure that they did not facilitate activities of private buyers that would not have met the requirements.

Chief Masendu who is also a member of the Senate said all Government departments had to work towards a common purpose to ensure that activities of private buyers were legitimate. He said a number of villagers in his area had lost cattle to unscrupulous buyers. He said some buyers were in the tendency of buying cattle on credit and thereafter disappear.

"A number of private buyers make payment plans with locals but they later disappear after collecting the beasts. The buyers normally get receipts without making payments and make false promises to locals that they would pay up on a later date.

"A number of villagers are owed a lot of money by these private buyers who are not known to anyone. What boggles the mind is that throughout all these private sales the police would be present but council and Vet officials would not be there," he said.

Chief Masendu said there was a need for police officers to desist from clearing cattle that were bought through "illegal" procedures as they were crippling development in the area. He said there were a number of Government workers who were benefiting from the unscrupulous activities. He said the selling and buying of cattle was a legal activity which had a proper procedure and anyone defaulting had to be penalised.

Bulilima Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr John Brown Ncube said by-laws had been set to guard against illegal cattle buying activities but they were not efficient. He said there was a need for stiffer measures to be implemented and all Government departments and villagers had to uphold them.

Mr Ncube said the council would schedule a meeting with private buyers where the new measures would be communicated.

He said the council from now on would ensure that all cattle bought within the district were sold through organised auctions which were known by the local authority.

"Some buyers are in the habit of exceeding the limit as one is allowed 10 cattle. Some buy as much as 80 cattle and the council gets nothing out of this but this will soon change if we work together," he said.

The local authority recently pointed out that they were losing a lot of revenue to private buyers. They blamed the police for facilitating the activities by clearing cattle which were bought in the absence of the Vet Department and council officials.

The private buyers are expected to pay a levy to council offices after purchasing cattle but a number have been conducting their activities in secret.