A farmer from Trichardtsdal in Limpopo is suing the police for R7m, claiming that the police have failed to address theft and damage to his property for years.

Solly Letsoalo owns 128 hectares of Portion 30 Lofdal, near Ofcolaco. Letsoalo told Letaba Herald that thieves have left him emotionally and financially wrecked and claims that the police have not done anything to help him.

He says that thieves have been trespassing and stealing his green mangoes since 2022. He says the thieves arrive with bakkies and get away with bags filled with his mangos.

“I have reported it to the police on many occasions, but my pleas fall on deaf ears.

“We are serviced by the Maake Police Station, but we also have the Sekororo Satellite Police Station, which has about two vehicles to service the local communities. In most cases, when intruders and thieves are on the farm, I’m told there is no vehicle and by the time the police arrive, the thieves are long gone,” he says.

Letsoalo says the thieves are violent and steal anything they can find on his farm. They have stolen transformers, cables, vegetable mats, and water pipes.

The Southern African Agri Initiative (Saai) issued a summons against the SAPS in a bid for Letsoalo to be compensated for the damage caused by illegal trespassers on his farm.

“The summons demands that the SAPS must take responsibility for the more than R7m worth of damage caused by illegal trespassers on Letsoalo’s farm in Limpopo. This will cover the damage that Letsoalo has suffered in terms of his property, implements and especially his mango production,” a recent statement by Saai read.

“Illegal trespassing is an increasing problem, while the SAPS is also increasingly failing to act against this. Saai will continue to push for trespassing laws to be sharpened and applied more strictly,” said Theo de Jager, Saai’s Executive Director.

According to the statement, Saai in February sent a formal application in terms of the Act on the Promotion of Access to Information to the police to ask for transparency about the larger trespassing problem.

“Among other things, Saai asked for reports on the number of reported incidents of trespassing and how many convictions there were. Saai will continue to apply pressure to obtain this information.”

Letsoalo said he has been struggling to keep up with his running expenses. He may lose even more because he is unable to pay his children’s school fees and will have to sell his property and possessions.