Harare — HARARE City Council has recruited 42 farm guards in a bid to thwart the illegal slaughter and theft of cattle at Ingwe, Crowborough and Pension farms.

The city, which boasts of over 5 300 cattle, has in previous years lost hundreds of cattle worth billions of dollars to rustlers owing to a laxity in security on the farms.

The recruitment of the 42 guards, six supervisors and a loss control officer come at a time when the city has not recorded any cattle thefts in the past 13 months. For the past 13 months, the city's cattle were being guarded round the clock, a measure that reduced cattle straying.