Farmers and residents were urged to report suspicious vehicles in the area at night and to get in contact with CPF members or their security company if they witness suspicious activity.
“If you find a bakkie full of produce driving through the area at night, they need to be in possession of a letter stating that they have legally bought the produce, otherwise they can be held on possession of suspected stolen goods,” Community Policing Forum chairman Ockie Brits told members at the CPF meeting earlier this month.
Farmers were encouraged to check out possible escape routes like foot paths passing through farms and to patrol or block these accessways.
On May 23, Nelspruit Concerned Citizens posted on Facebook that they had assisted a farmer on the Plaston Road to apprehend the driver of a vehicle for the suspected theft of around 800 kilograms of macadamia nuts from a farm. Several suspects fled the scene.
During the meeting, the area’s CPF representative said the theft had reached industrial scale and that there had been several incidents of shots fired in the valley. This included a suspicious character that pulled a gun on people who wanted to detain him. Residents were warned to be wary when approaching suspicious persons.
