By Marx Itamalo |
THIEVES in Omusati have now shifted their operations from stealing motor vehicles to stealing livestock.
This is according to Omusati police spokeswoman Senior Inspector Anna Kunga.
According to Kunga, many cases of stock theft are being registered with the regional police than those of stolen vehicles. She indicates that between 2023 and 2024, the police in Omusati recorded a high number of stolen cars than in 2025 and from January 2026 to date.
However, according to Kunga, the paradigm has now shifted with thugs stealing farm animals.
“I can say we did not have much stock theft cases like now. It was mostly cars stolen and driven into Angola or stripped of their parts. But now we have many cases of farm animals being stolen in the region,” Kunga told Omutumwa.
The regional police spokeswoman indicated that since January this year, only one vehicle was reported stolen in the region in sharp contrast to those stolen in the past few years at the beginning of each year.
“The focus is now on animals. They are targeting animals. Cattle especially and goats are the ones that are targeted,” she said adding that the police suspect there is a lucrative market for stolen animals in Angola as most suspects that get intercepted and arrested were always on the way to Namibia’s northern neighbour.
Kunga, indicated that most of the time cattle are driven from grazing areas.
“You understand people in Omusati do not look after animals even during the rainy season because every house has got a fence. They roam and graze freely from morning until when they return home on their own in the afternoon.
“So, this is when thieves get a chance to steal animals like cattle,” she explained.
Small livestock, like goats, are mostly stolen at night when rustlers drive them from kraals, according to her.
Kunga advises farmers to always look after their animals. She likewise warned against hiring Angolan nationals as herders as many were identified as culprits when animals are stolen and driven towards Angola. She stressed that suspects are normally middle aged of between 20-40 years-old.
“Just last week, a young man who was employed at a farm, stole and drove the whole herd belonging to his employer heading for the Angolan border. The owner quickly alerted us and our members acted swiftly and he was arrested before he could cross the border,” she pointed out.
Asked what the prospects of finding animals that have been smuggled into Angola were, she said: “Sometimes they can be found sometimes not. It depends on the cooperation of Angolan officials,” she said.
Last week, an Angolan national (37), appeared in the Outapi magistrate court after he was arrested with 12 stolen cows. The animals were stolen at Ombafi village and were being driven towards the Angolan border.
He was denied bail and police investigations continue. Kunga said the suspect is believed to be part of a ring that operates in Omusati.
In the photo: Omusati regional police spokeswoman Senior Inspector Anna Kunga.
