Motorists travelling along South Street today may have been perplexed by the heavy presence of police at a residence along the reasonably busy road.
On Monday night, 65 sheep were stolen from a farmer in the Zaailaagte area after the brief heavy rains that hit Vryheid. It is believed that the sheep were led along a path near the Mfolozi river, past the water treatment plant and along the bypass. They were then allegedly directed past the cemetery and Pionier sports grounds and loaded somewhere along the Melmoth road. From there, some of the stolen sheep were eventually discovered at the house in South Street.
Of the 65, it is reported that 15 were recovered, some of them savagely slaughtered along the path from Zaailaagte to the Melmoth road. At the residence in South Street, approximately 23 sheep were recovered. It is likely that the suspects were in the process of slaughtering the nefariously gotten livestock, as 11 carcasses were recovered in plastic bags, along with 12 heads and 11 live sheep huddled nervously inside the garage.
Six suspects have been arrested and taken into custody following a raid on the homestead by the stock theft unit and Vryheid SAPS.
Read next week’s Vryheid Herald for an in depth look at the impact of these brazen thefts on local farmers.
Also read: Double murder follows foiled attempt at stock theft near Vryheid
Also read: Stock theft becomes a crisis in Vryheid
Also read: Mayor falls victim to stock theft
