Three suspected livestock thieves are in custody in the Karibib police holding cells following their arrest on Saturday.

They are expected to appear  in the Karibib Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, facing a host of charges, including attempted murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances.

It is alleged that the trio attacked a goat herder on a farm in the Karibib area, and one of the rustlers stabbed the herder from behind, right through his body, with a spear or assegaai.
The herder put up a brave fight before fleeing and managed to pull out the spear from his body, walking more than two kilometres to the homestead of the farm owner.

He immediately received assistance from the farm manager and was rushed to the Karibib clinic before being stabilised and rushed to a Windhoek hospital, where he remains in a critical condition.

The suspects, in the meantime, got away with 100 goats and 20 sheep rams with an estimated value of N$400,000.

However, the farm manager in the meantime alerted the Karibib police and the K-SAPU anti-poaching unit, and a full-scale manhunt was launched.
A gyrocopter from a neighbouring farmer was also enlisted to assist in an aerial search, and it was not long before a small herd of goats was spotted. They were recovered, and soon the ground and air search party swooped on three men carrying backpacks close to Karibib town.

They allegedly admitted and showed the spot where they allegedly slaughtered some of the goats.

Two spears were found in their possession; one of them was allegedly used to stab the goat herder.

Erongo Police Inspector for Community Affairs, Ileni Shampumba, described the incident as very disturbing, pointing out that it is the third such incident in the Erongo area in a short time.

He claimed that earlier, a group of panga-wielding suspects attacked and handcuffed another goat herder in the Usakos area.

Inspector Shapumbu, however, could not confirm whether or not the same group was also responsible for the other attacks on farm workers.