BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE– Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has sought help from members of the public with removing stray cows from the road.
Stray cows or stray cattle are animals such as cows, bulls, oxen and buffaloes that roam freely. A cow is considered ‘stray’ when its owner no longer claims ownership or its owner cannot be determined.
Chief Police and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said over the past weeks they have been receiving a number of cases on stray cows.
She made an example of how 52 stray cows were reported and found in Siteki alone.
“Stray cow attack on humans and crops is an issue for residents in both urban and rural areas. Stray cattle are a nuisance to traffic in urban areas and often cause road accidents.
“The cow prefers to sit in the middle of the road or on the side or divider because the fast-moving traffic is carried away from the animal’s body by flies and insects, and the animal does not need to wag its tail every time. Thus they find it easy, comfortable, and comfortable to sit/sit on the roads. This causes accidents,” said Vilakati.
She further said many of these stray cows sitting on the roads belong to the people living in the surrounding villages. In common parlance, stray cattle include cows, bulls, or calves that are abandoned because they are unproductive.
“The problem of stray cattle is nothing new to road users, but in the last few months, it has reached alarming proportions.
Herds of stray cows roam freely on the thoroughfares and interior roads causing hindrance to traffic. Many people riding two-wheelers have been injured after the vehicles skidded because of cows on the road. At night, vehicle users cannot spot the vehicles, especially on streets with poor illumination.
“Our roads are congested. Stray cattle add to the traffic woes. Some time ago, the civic bodies used to continuously impound roaming animals and put them in a shelter. The menace is more serious than one can imagine.
“Free-roaming cattle are a threat to two-wheeler riders as animals run in the middle of the road and all of a sudden move sideways causing road accidents. I was witness to such an accident on Kamaraj Salai,” said Vilakati.
