THE sight of strips of meat, hung on a string attached to two wooden poles for preservation as biltong, fills Khethiwe Sibanda with a sense of hopelessness.
The meat being preserved comes from a beast her children slaughtered, not by choice, but out of desperation to salvage something from one of the family's herd of cattle that succumbed to January disease.
In an effort to monetise their vanishing wealth, farmers now sell their diseased carcasses to individuals from Bulawayo, who are suspected of further distributing the tainted meat to local butcheries. Sibanda initially dismissed rumours about the cattle-buying men in trucks, assuming her own herd remained unaffected. However, tragedy struck her home when she lost her first cattle to this insidious disease.
Mhlanga highlighted that villagers faced financial challenges regarding cattle. Specifically, for the slaughtered cattle, they received only US$150, while those showing signs of disease fetched US$200. The economic struggle was particularly pronounced for the deceased animals that had been slaughtered.
Dr Gwinyai Zhandire, a local veterinary doctor, said January disease does not directly impact humans. However, consuming meat from a cow that succumbed to this ailment poses significant risks. Farmers remain unaware of other opportunistic diseases the cattle may have attracted before their demise. "It's unfortunate that farmers will be trying to recover some money which we totally understand yet they are putting their lives and those who will eat the meat they are selling in danger," said Dr Zhandire
"Police should conduct 24 hours operations whereby they will be stopping any truck on the road checking to see if those trucks are not carrying any unauthorised meat and cattle.
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