The Namibian Police in the Kavango East region have successfully recovered 54 cattle that were stolen in the Mukwe constituency and driven into Angola.
Deputy commissioner Bonifatius Kanyetu, police regional crime investigation coordinator in the region, clarified on Friday that the actual number of stolen cattle was 56, not 87 as previously reported.
Kanyetu also confirmed that all nine Namibian citizens who went missing after crossing into Angola last Sunday to track down the armed rustlers responsible for the theft have returned safely.
Three men came back earlier in the week, while the remaining six returned on Friday.
The recovered cattle were abandoned by the suspects, who fled upon realising law enforcement were closing in.
The official handover of the livestock took place on Saturday morning at the Mushangara border post in the Mukwe constituency, where the cattle had been kept overnight on the Angolan side of the border.
“Before the animals are returned to their rightful owners, veterinary services will vaccinate them,” Kanyetu added.
