The FF Plus is asking for stricter prosecution and the maximum penalty for livestock theft in Mpumalanga, seeing as this offence is spiraling out of control.
On Tuesday, 11 horses were stolen from a farm in Volksrust (Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality). It followed close on the heels of an incident this past weekend during which a farm manager in Leandra (Govan Mbeki Local Municipality) was held at gunpoint at a feedlot. The perpetrators made off with 14 dormer sheep.
In March, 58 stud rams, ewes and lambs were stolen from a farmer in Belfast / Emakhazeni (Emakhazeni Local Municipality). And over the past five months, more than 300 cattle and sheep were stolen in the province’s Highveld.
The estimated value of livestock losses over this period amount to more than R3 million.
Many of the animals are slaughtered on the spot and in some cases, the livestock were cut open while they were still alive.
Local farmers place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the police, which apparently lack the skills to solve these cases.
To make a real impact on livestock theft, a shift to the next gear is needed. At present, one of the main concerns and challenges is the number of cases that are reported compared to the number of livestock thieves who are convicted in the courts.
The crime figures for October to December 2021 indicate that 807 heads of livestock were stolen in Mpumalanga alone.
Between April 2021 and December 2021, 2 260 heads of livestock were reported stolen in the province.
The FF Plus is encouraging farmers to put additional measures in place to try and prevent more thefts. It is also crucially important for farmers to join their local safety and security structures.
Should they report cases, they must keep in constant contact with the investigating officer and apply pressure until the case is heard by the court.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Werner Weber on FF Plus
