36 cattle belonging to a farmer in the Zambezi Region have been recovered from Zambia after they were stolen while grazing about three weeks ago. 

A total of 42 cattle were taken, while 36 have been returned and six remain missing, although authorities believe that they may have been sold along the way after being taken from Namibia.

Speaking to nbc News at the Wenela border post where the cattle entered back into Namibia, the owner, Badumisa Sibolile, applauded efforts made by authorities in both Namibia and Zambia and asked that law enforcement on both sides of the border be more active and visible along the borders to help stop stock theft.

"I'm happy that we recovered most of the cattle, but I have to say that the process of recovering these cattle is very straining in terms of time and financial resources because, for most of these activities, although law enforcement and police were assisting us here and there, most of the expenses I had to incur at a personal level."

The police regional commander for Zambezi, Commissioner Andreas Shilelo, said that most of the time the stolen animals are taken into Zambia, where they may or may not be recovered. 

Commissioner Shilelo said that efforts from all necessary stakeholders need to be discussed and implemented to curtail the ongoing stock theft the region is facing.

"So what is left now from us as law enforcement, the regional government, and the provincial government of Zambia is to escalate the dialogue. We need to escalate the dialogue because of the situation with this type of crime. This stock theft crime has been here for so long, and I think we need to seek support from our regional government and the provincial government."

According to the chairperson of the Liselo-Kamenga Anti-Stock Theft Association, Vincent Siliye, more farmers continue to search for their livestock, and this recovery is a drop in the ocean of animals that have not yet been recovered. 

"This month we have 52 cattle stolen here, and out of that, 22 cattle are not yet recovered, so at a value of N$176,000. We really appreciate the assistance of our brothers in Zambia, and more especially, credit goes to the law enforcement officers from the Namibian side. They are doing their work very perfectly, though we are very aware of the challenges that they face, which are in terms of resources, human resources, and mobility. They also lack transport."

Siliye urges the government to assist law enforcement officers in the region with resources like more patrol vehicles to curb armed stock theft.