Free State cow farmer, fraudster handed 25-year sentence
State prosecutor advocate Jacques Harrington stated the accused skilfully convinced the complainants that their herds were thriving under his care whereas he was using their cattle for his benefit.
Dairy cows on the farm. Picture: Neil McCartney
The Free State High Court in Kroonstad has sentenced a 37-year-old farmer, Cornelius Andries Loggenberg to a total of 427 years imprisonment after he was convicted on 20 counts of theft and six counts of fraud.
According to evidence provided in court, Loggenberg farmed on the farm Kirkdale in Koppies, and part of his farming activities was the maintenance of a herd of dairy cattle for milking purposes, the department regional public prosecution’s spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement.
Whilst expanding his dairy farm business between 2009 and 2013, he leased 2,136 Holstein cattle, to the value of R25 million.
Shuping said an investigation revealed that the funds of the sale of the cattle were paid into a specific bank account of the accused, who then transferred to various accounts belonging to himself.
“Some of the complainants invested large amounts of money agreeing that the accused could utilise it to buy Holstein cattle on behalf of the complainants and then lease the said cattle from the complainants. The accused did not buy any cattle with the money but he utilised it for his own expenses.”
State prosecutor advocate Jacques Harrington stated that the accused skilfully convinced the complainants that their herds were thriving under his care whereas he was using their cattle for his benefit.
“The accused sold and misappropriated the cattle to such an extent that the business collapsed and the complainants suffered severe losses.
“He ran into enormous debt to buy feed for the cattle and when the situation worsened, he lured more farmers into his business. This was just a ‘get-rich-quick scheme’ where he duped seasoned farmers who ended up being the victims of theft and fraud,” said Harrington.
Loggenberg sentence will be an effective 25 years imprisonment of which 10 years were suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted of theft or fraud during the period of suspension.
(Compiled by Sandisiwe Mbhele)
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