Kunene’s livestock theft fuelled by prolonged drought, unemployment

The Kunene Region has seen the worst dry periods in the past decade, resulting in more than 90 per cent of livestock losses. This has now led to a spike in livestock theft as farmers strive to replace herds ravaged by climatic shocks. As a result of these losses, most farmers are now at the mercy of the government’s food and drought assistance programmes. Kunene’s Namibian Police community affairs officer, Inspector Vehangaiza Candy Ruiter revealed that the majority of stock theft cases involve farmers who have lost livestock as a result of the current climatic crisis and are now attempting to recoup and replace.