The repeated release of suspected stock theft criminals on bail is contributing to rampant stock theft at Otjimbingwe.

This is according to community members who have called on the police and courts not to grant bail to suspects with pending cases.

Farmers in the Otjimbingwe area lose millions of dollars every year due to stock theft.

In 2020, one farmer lost about seven heads of cattle, worth N$98,000, and was forced to make peace with the loss of 11 animals valued at N$110,000 in one incident.

The police say the crimes are well organized by a syndicate involving employees, herders, business owners, and even political leaders.

Last December, a senior councilor at the settlement was arrested for the illegal authorization of a meat transportation permit.

A recent community meeting re-iterated the problem, and residents came up with various suggestions for the police to consider.

"When people are arrested, they are taken to court, but they leave with a $2,000 bail and return to the streets, where they continue to do what they are doing. I cannot recall a case in which someone stole animal stock and received a jail sentence. Some of them have five cases, but they are still getting bail, so what's the point of arresting them in the first place?" questioned Nelson Kavita, Chairperson of the Otjimbingwe Stock Theft Association.

"It has become a lifestyle; it's our sons, brothers, and even our own fathers that are stealing these, and we know them. It's not like we don't know them. But they are not ready to expose them. Why? Because they make our lives easier. We are working on a shortcut lifestyle that we have designed for ourselves, but it will soon cripple us," Chief Jeremia Mujahere of the OvaHerero Traditional Authority added. 

"Can't we put in some sales points, like we have here in Otjimbingwe, and put up an information box from the police so everyone who feels they have seen something that they want to report to the police can go and throw names and the area where it happened in that box? And the police are collecting this information from all the posts each week about where we put those boxes?" suggested Chris Maukua.

Residents have requested that police protect whistle-blowers through the introduction of a toll-free number and that vehicles suitable to the Otjimbingwe terrain, as well as horses and dogs, are available to help track criminals.

"We have the Constitution on the other side; we have a duty to prevent crime, fight crime, and control crime in the country, and we have what we call due process, which ensures that the person is subjected to procedural fairness throughout the process. If we skip one stage of the procedural fairness, then we expect that case to be thrown out of court," was the response from Inspector Iileni Shapumba, who welcomed all suggestions from the community and indicated that the police are engaging public prosecutors to advocate for them not granting bail to habitual stock theft suspects