The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Liziwe Ntshinga, accompanied by senior management of the South African Police Service in the province, held a high level meeting on Monday 8 July 2019, with farmers with a view to finding a lasting solution to the rampant stock theft engulfing the areas bordering Lesotho.
This historic meeting was a response to a clarion call by the farming communities in the areas of Mt Fletcher, Elliot and Ugie areas for the SAPS Provincial Management to intervene in the devastating stock thieving in their farms. Large amounts of stock theft have been a cause for concern for both the farmers and the police in recent months. Although the stock theft phenomenon dates back in the years, the recent incidents saw the police recovering many livestock and arresting suspects in an alarming yet positive scale.
During the fruitful engagement with Peace Committees and Farmers, Lieutenant General Ntshinga made a serious commitment to provide the necessary support to the farmers. The support included continuous engagement with all farmers and surrounding communities. Secondly, ensuring intensified Stock theft operations and strong cooperation with the Justice Cluster partners and Community Police Forums to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes remain behind bars.
The Provincial Commissioner and the leadership of the farming community resolved to establish an integrated task team inclusive of all Clusters. They further agreed that the leadership will also look into the needs for facilities that will make the work of the Stock Theft operatives much easier. The Eastern Cape Police have recently recovered stock estimated in millions and arrested numerous suspects, some of whom are either in police custody or out on bail. More arrests are expected as investigations continue.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Ntshinga was hailed by the farming community for the immediate interventions and numerous successes achieved in the ongoing fight against stock theft in the Province.
Anyone who has information about stock thieving in the rural villages and farms, is requested to inform the nearest police station or crime stop number 086 00 10 111.
All the information provided will be treated with strict confidentiality.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
EC stock theft and livestock issues: SAPS clusters and community meet
