Kameeldrift West residents and CPF plagued by rising stock theft
"Some of our neighbours feel they do not want to keep livestock anymore because you end up having more security for the livestock than for yourself."
Sector 4 CPF and residents of Kameeldrift West have raised concerns about the increase of stock theft in the area.
A member of the CPF in sector 4 Edna van Vuuren said the community was up in arms with the recent increase of stock theft in the area.
Van Vuuren said at least one animal was stolen every week in the area.
“It was quiet for a while but it has been picking up recently. The last three weeks we have had two cattle and five goats stolen.”
She said despite the recent increase, no one has yet been arrested.
Van Vuuren said the thieves usually cut the fences before coming to steal the livestock.
“They try to enter the premises from the bushes and they make it difficult for the guys on patrol to see them. They will cut three or four plots’ fences to use it as an exist after stealing the cows.”
Marika Binder, a community member who recently lost her bull to stock theft, said they only realised in the morning of August 11, that they were missing a bull.
“It happened to me on the night of August 10-11. This has never happened to us before but it has happened to a lot of neighbours in the area. At least once a week stock is stolen in the area.”
Binder said it was difficult to raise a bull only for it to be stolen “just like that”.
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“It was not a registered bull, so I would say we lost about R20 000, but if it was registered bull then it would have been a lot of money.
“Some of our neighbours feel they do not want to keep livestock anymore because you end up having more security for the livestock than for yourself.”
She said some of the stolen livestock ended up in nearby squatter camps or was sold to people who bought it from the thieves.
“When I listened to my neighbours, some say their sheep or cows were taken to the nearby squatter camps which one can understand because everyone is hungry, but that is still a loss to the farmer.
“Sometimes the livestock is stolen by a middle man who sells the cows to a someone who orders them.”
She advised residents to consider having their stock marked with numbers so that they can be able to identify them because tags in the ear were easy to remove.
“It would also be nice if there was more police visibility in the area.”
Captain Bonginkosi Msimango of the Hercules police had yet to provide a comment.
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