Men apprehended for allegedly stealing R45k worth of chicken for festive season

With the price of food rocketing and Christmas around the corner, two men seem to have decided that it would be easier to redirect a delivery of chicken worth R45 000 from their employer’s dispatch at the Koelkamer Factory in Pretoria to their own destination.

According to police reports, the two employees from the cold room facility are expected to appear before the Makhado Magistrate court on Monday 19 December 2022 following their apprehension in connection with the theft of the chicken pallets on Thursday, 15 December 2022.

Police confirmed that according to their records, the management of the factory had reported a repeated theft of the chicken pallets. The first was said to have occurred on 9 December 2022 and the second and latest that took place was on 13 December 2022.

Tactical intelligence-driven operation executed

Police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said: “When we received the complaint from Koelkamer Factory, a tactical intelligence-driven operation was immediately conducted by the police around the Makhado area to monitor the movement of the employees at the factory.

At this time, we also received a tip-off from a member of the community.”

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Subsequently, Ledwaba told that the police spotted the two employees who were driving the factory’s truck with the allegedly stolen chicken. It was said that they were transporting the loot to their own buyer in Thohoyandou. Police cornered them next to the Makhado showground.

The truck was stopped and searched as police uncovered the concealed load of chicken pallets. The duo was then questioned but could not provide a satisfactory explanation about the destination of the chicken pallets.

The suspects aged 34 and 44 were immediately placed under an arrest.

 Increase in chicken prices

Early this year, a husbandry named Hume International based in Gqeberha, stated that chicken prices had seen a sharp increase in pricing with no signs of reducing.

According to the NAMC’s SA Poultry Products Prices Monitor report, between quarter 1 of 2022 and quarter 1 of 2021, retail price for 2kg IQF chicken increased by 13%, followed by frozen portions non-IQF by 12%, chicken giblets increased by 9%, chicken fresh per kg by 5% and the whole chicken fresh per kg by 4%, as producers faced surging input costs.

South Africans have come to rely on chicken as one of the main sources of affordable protein.

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