Members of Heilbron SAPS intercepted the stock thieves during a blue white light operation conducted in the evening of Thursday, 16 September 2021.
The members stopped a white Kombi on R34 road towards Frankfort. This motor vehicle had three occupants, two managed to flee from the scene while one was arrested. The arrest follows the discovery of a number of sheep that were crammed inside the Kombi.
A case of stock theft was opened for further investigation.
On further investigation, it was revealed that out of a number of sheep found, 39 were alive while 15 were dead. The value of the sheep was estimated to be about R135 000-00. It was discovered that these sheep belong to a man of Eselvoet Farm in Heilbron.
A 27-year-old male resident of Orange Farm in Gauteng Province will be charged for stock theft. He will appear in Heilbron Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 20 September 2021.
Free State Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Baile Motswenyane lauded the members for stopping these stock thieves. “Blue White Light Operation is one of the crime combating measures we put in place in rural areas to squeeze the space of criminals. This success is one of the fruits of these operations and will continue until our rural areas are safe and conducive for farming,” concluded Gen Motswenyane.
