Staff Reporter
THREE of the nine villagers who were reported missing after they crossed into Angola on the tracks of their stolen cattle have safely returned home Thursday morning, but the whereabouts of the other six are still unknown.
Five armed men allegedly assaulted a cattle herder and stole 87 head of cattle from Diyogha village in the Mukwe Constituency of Kavango East on Saturday.
The animals were driven across the border into Angola. Seven owners of the stolen cattle and two herders entered Angola on Sunday in an attempt to recover their livestock.
Relatives started worrying about the nine villagers’ safety after they failed to return. The security forces were roped in on Wednesday to help bring the missing villagers back home.
According to Mukwe Constituency Councillor Damian Maghambayi, the three villagers who returned home on Thursday separated from the others when they got tired and decided to rest, but the other six pressed on.
“The three eventually decided to turn back after failing to catch up with the group of six,” said Maghambayi.
He did not provide the identities of the three.
Earlier on, he identified the missing as Diyeve Augustinus Kavindja, Poroto Paulus Haingura, Thitaka Paulinus, Katembo Lukas, Kashosho Seba, Mutavani, Manidji, Natongo, and Johnny.
Meanwhile, information has emerged indicating a possible involvement of Zambian cattle thieves using southern Angola as a transit area.
The assaulted cattle herder, who is originally from Angola, has reportedly pointed out a locality in Zambia as the possible destination of the stolen cattle.
Diyogha village is located near the Namibia-Angola border, 190 kilometres east of Rundu.
Picture for illustrative purposes only. Photo: Contributed
