A CATTLE thief in the heart of Siavonga District’s Matente village this morning came within touching distance of his own death but still somehow lived to tell the tale.
An irate mob had all that was needed to set 36 year old Sylvester Miyoba ablaze after catching him red-handed herding a stolen cow worth K8000 to safety.
Miyoba, a resident of Chikankata District in Southern Province, found himself in a life-or-death struggle after attempting to steal a cow that was up for sale.
However his ill-fated decision took dramatic turn when he was confronted by an irate mob who like fire crackers at the transition of a the year and were ready to take matters into their own hands.
As tension reached a boiling point, the villagers welcomed Miyoba with slaps, kicks and punches and bundled together logs of wood and tyres around him as they aimed to make a barbeque lesson out of him.
All of Miyoba’s desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, and it seemed that his fate was sealed.
Amidst the chaos, a glimmer of hope emerged as Munyama Ward Councilor, Specio Mulaziki, intervened just in the nick of time.
Mulaziki’s timely action prevented a potential tragedy, as he managed to halt the mob’s relentless pursuit of vigilante justice and rescued Miyoba from the clutches of a fiery demise.
The incident sheds light on the growing concern of stock theft in the region.
Chief Simamba of the Tonga people, who presides over Siavonga District, expressed his distress over the rampant livestock theft plaguing his chiefdom.
With reports of cattle disappearing at an alarming rate, Chief Simamba criticized what he sees as inadequate intervention from the police to curb the problem.
Police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga confirmed the incident stating a docket had been compiled while Miyoba apprehended for stock theft, awaiting for court appearance.
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba August 22, 2023
