One of the men who was granted bail in connection with a charge of possession of donkey meat has been rearrested.
Stephen Sepeng (32) was rearrested shortly after he had appeared in the Ga-Rankuwa magistrate’s court on Monday where, together with two other suspects, he had faced another charge of possession of donkey meat.
SPCA inspector Mishack Matlou said Sepeng had been wanted by police for another case of illegal slaughter and possession of donkey meat.
A 63-year-old woman from Kgabalatsane, Thembisile Baloyi, had reported Sepeng to the police after the heads, skins and intestines of her missing donkeys was found at his shack at Itireleng section near Kgabalatsane, north west of Pretoria.
Matlou said the donkeys’ heads and skins were found at Sepeng’s home after his girlfriend was seen selling meat around the community the previous day.
“The girlfriend convinced members of the community that the meat was pure beef. Most of the people bought the meat because it was cheap. Some of them became suspicious and went to Sepeng’s shack to investigate and they found donkey parts,” Matlou said.
The angry residents then burned down Sepeng’s shack.
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“Community members are still bitter that he made them eat donkey meat,” he said.
Sepeng, together with Mgcini Dube (32) of Zimbabwe and Collen Molapo from Tembisa, were arrested on 29 November after they were caught transporting donkey meat. The owner of the donkeys remains unknown.
Sepeng and Molapo were released on R1 000 bail each after appearing in court on 11 December.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Nelson Mabuza confirmed that Sepeng was rearrested on Monday, 29 January 29 shortly after appearing in court.
“The case against the three suspects was postponed to February 15. The pair were arrested as they stepped out of the dock,” said Mabuza.
Baloyi told Rekord she woke one Saturday morning to find her fence broken down and four of her donkeys missing.
She said with the help of other residents they tracked down her donkeys and found them slaughtered in a man’s shack.
Furious residents angry that they were made to eat donkey meat, accompanied Baloyi to the police station to open a case.
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According to Mpho Mokoena, an inspector in the NSPCA’s farm animal protection unit, large numbers of donkeys have been slaughtered using knives and hammers in rural parts of Limpopo, the Northern Cape, and North West.
“It’s extremely upsetting to see the remains,” Mokoena said.
In an incident last October, SPCA officials intercepted a flatbed truck carrying 41 “crushed, dead or dying” donkeys in Limpopo.
Four men were sentenced to eight months in jail.
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