Stock thief has run in with the law near Charl Cilliers
“Frequently counting stock will make cases easier for identifying the period when the stock is normally counted and the time it was lost.”
A 59-year-old man appeared in the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, May 25, in connection with stock theft.
According to the police, a cattle herder noticed a slaughtered cow on May 23, and immediately called the owner, who then alerted the police and others involved in fighting crime in the area.
“When the collaborative troops arrived, they spotted a suspicious silver Toyota Yaris on the premises as well as an unknown man in the grazing field next to the carcass of a cow,” said Brig Selvy Mohlala.
The farmer then confirmed the cow as his and the man was arrested.
The Police regard his arrest as a breakthrough and suspect that similar cases of stock theft in the surrounding areas could be solved as he may be linked.
The provincial commissioner of Mpumalanga, Lieut-Gen Semakaleng Manamela has reassured the affected communities that the police are working hard to fight stock theft.
“We are making notable inroads in curbing stock theft. We further encourage people not to buy meat from suspicious individuals or meat that they suspect is,” said Gen Manamela.
She appreciated the partnership between the police, the Community Policing Forum (CPF) and local farmers.
The Charl Cilliers Police embarked on a rural safety and stock theft awareness campaign earlier in May.
W/O DW Mahlangu, rural safety and crime prevention office coordinator, together with Const Millicent Mqoco, the social crime coordinator, and Sgt FE Nkabinde visited several farms.
On one of the farms that were visited on May 12, they counted 40 head of cattle of which 30 were brand marked and 10 new calves were not yet marked. Several sheep among the 45 on the farm were also not branded.
According to Const Mqoco, the farmers were informed about the importance of brand marking their stock to avoid stock theft, and in case of recoveries, the owners can easily identify their livestock.
“Frequently counting stock will make cases easier for identifying the period when the stock is normally counted and the time it was lost.”
Const Mqoco said the farmer co-operated and promised to brand the new stock.
“Farm patrols reduce stock theft and continued during the night with the farmers, security companies, Policing in Blue, the CPF and the agriculture forum.”
