Man convicted for stock theft
The herd was then driven to Fernie and later smuggled over the Swazi border to Bhunya where they were sold to a Swazi.
ELUKWATINI – A 40-year-old man, who tried to amass his wealth through the stealing and selling of livestock to unsuspecting buyers, has been convicted and found guilty of stock theft.
Sihle Mbovu Mndebele of Fernie Trust in the Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality was sentenced to an effective 10 years’ imprisonment by the Carolina Magistrate’s Court on January 12.
According to police, on May 18 last year, Mndebele treacherously tricked four young men including his son to help him to collect “his cattle” from a certain farm in Badplaas.
“He paid them handsomely to carry out the task. He even produced a document authorising him to transport the livestock. They were made to believe that the deal was genuine and that he owned the animals,” read a media statement. It continued to state that Mndebele led the four to the farm where he seized 25 cattle which he identified as his from a number of others. The herd was then driven to Fernie and later smuggled over the Swazi border to Bhunya where they were sold to a Swazi.
According to Sgt Peace Mbokane, a case of stock theft was opened by the legitimate owner of the cattle at Badplaas a few days later and the docket was assigned to
Det Sgt Jabulani Zitha of the Elukwatini Stock Theft Unit. “It was only through Zitha’s hard work and commitment that three of the young men were arrested and they told him how they had been tricked and lured into a trap by Mndebele who made them believe that he was the rightful owner of the stock.
“The police also traced Mndebele at Warburton where he apparently fought the police and resisted his arrest. He was again traced at Fernie Trust and Zitha got him arrested,” explained Mbokane. Mndebele had made several court appearances in the Carolina Regional Court where he was finally convicted guilty and sentenced by the magistrate, who believed the sentence would serve as a warning to all would-be suspects.
The station commander of Elukwatini SAPS, Col Precious Mabuza, applauded the dedicated detective with praises for ensuring that justice prevailed in the matter. “Stock theft is one of the stubborn crimes in our area, I am happy that we have a dedicated member who played his part to ensure a conviction in this crime,” she said
