Police target illegal meat vendors in new operation

In an interview yesterday, Police National Anti-Stock theft coordinator Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza said they have launched a nationwide operation to stop illegal meat vendors and backyard food outlets as part of measures to fight livestock theft. The operation, code-named “Eradicate Street/Open Air Meat and Food Vendors”, was first launched in Harare and Bulawayo, where police arrested 340 offenders and closed down 13 butcheries and confiscated 458kg of meat between March and May this year.

Said Makodza:

We started with Harare and Bulawayo because those were the hot spots. However, we have discovered that there are rampant cases of meat and food vending in other cities and towns throughout the country. This programme will complement other blitzes such as operation ‘Batai Mbavha dze mombe/Bopani amasela enkomo’ that we conducted in January this year.

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