The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga has appreciated the partnership between police, Community Policing Forums and local farmers. The appreciation comes after a 59-year-old man was arrested for stock theft on 23 May 2022, at Charl Cilliers.
According to the police report, one of the cattle herders grew suspicious when he noticed a slaughtered cow and immediately called the owner who in turn alerted the police and other stakeholders in the fight against 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 on the grazing field next to the carcass of a cow.
The farmer then confirmed the cow as his and the man was arrested. He is expected to appear at the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 25 May 2022.
Police regard his arrest as a breakthrough whereby other unresolved as well as similar cases of stock theft in the surrounding areas could be solved as he may be linked whilst the investigation continues.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General 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 as the police. We further encourage people not to buy meat from suspicious individuals or that they suspect to be stolen,” said General Manamela.
