Goats poisoned in Vhembe village, farmers devastated

LIMPOPO –  A wave of shock swept through the village of Muswodi in Niani over the weekend when more than 20 goats were found dead, believed to have been poisoned. The animals belonged to local farmers, and the discovery left residents and farmers shocked as they gathered to understand what had caused the tragedy.

According to the farmers, a strange white substance was found in the goat shed, which they believe is evidence of deliberate poisoning. The incident has caused a significant financial blow to the farmers, with one noting that a single goat can cost between R3 000 and R5 000.

The goats were used not only for meat and milk but also as a source of income when sold. In addition to the goats, one cow was also reportedly poisoned. Farmers explained that the cattle were essential to their livelihoods, used for both milking and as a financial resource, with individual cows or bulls valued between R6 000 and R11 000.

Resident Joseph Makuya said the poisoning is believed to have occurred at night. “The community is in shock. Who in their right mind poisons goats? We don’t know who is doing this or why. Now, we fear that our water tanks could be targeted next. We haven’t reported it to the police yet, as we plan to come together as a community first.”

One of the affected farmers, Nnditsheni Muleba was visibly angry. “Some people are just heartless. Goats were found dead in the street and even at people’s homes. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, but never on such a scale.”

Lawrence Khodobo, a senior inspector at the SPCA in Louis Trichardt, urged residents to report the matter to the police and to have a veterinarian conduct post mortems on the animals.

“Poisoning someone’s animals is a criminal offence. A post mortem will confirm the cause of death and assist in the investigation. There is likely a motive behind this,” he said.