Cattle farmer almost buys his own beef
When the man went to view the livestock offered for sale, he realised they were the same cattle that had been stolen from his farm.
STOCK theft is a major problem which costs the livestock industry millions of rand every year. A convicted criminal, who served several years in jail for attempted murder and possession of a firearm without a licence, is back on the crime scene.
But this time the 37-year-old got involved in stock theft. On December 16, the owner of a farm near Gamalakhe heard that a man was selling cattle in the Harding area. The farmer made enquiries and met the seller in Harding.
When the farmer viewed the cattle he noticed they were from his own herd.
The said farmer had another farm in the Harding area from which 21 head of cattle had been removed. Police spokesman, Captain Gerald Mfeka said police were called and arrested Thembalakhe Nkonyeni. Seventeen head of cattle were recovered.
Nkonyeni appeared at the Harding court on January 4 and was granted R4 000 bail. The case was postponed to January 16.
In April 1998 Nkonyeni was arrested for attempted murder, was found guilty and was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment, but before he could be sentenced, he was found guilty of being in possession of an unlicensed firearm and received a further sentence of three years. He was released after serving several years in prison.
Police investigations are continuing as some of the missing cattle were not found in his possession.
Meanwhile another farmer in Harding was furious with the magistrate for allowing bail. “Here we have an example of a convicted criminal who was sentenced for attempted murder and was given bail. What example is our justice system setting?” he asked.
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