Non-reporting of livestock theft in SA on the increase

Agri SA has appealed to farming communities to report all incidents of stock theft.

Non-reporting of livestock theft in SA on the increase
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At the Agri SA Congress Willie Clack, chairperson of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation Stock Theft Prevention Committee, said incidents of livestock theft are under-reported or not reported at all.

According to Clack non-reporting of stock theft has increased from 36,3% in 2011 to 67,7% in 2015. On average 70% of cases are not reported by the owner but by employees.

Stock theft is responsible for the most economic losses in rural communities and that’s why these statistics are significant,” he said.

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Clack said farmers choose not to report cases for various reasons such as a lack of trust in SAPS or they think stock theft is not important enough.

Some decide to inform the chief in communal areas or private security companies instead of SAPS. Certain livestock owners cannot report theft because they have not counted or marked their animals.

He said there is a misperception that only South African farmers are exposed to rural crime such as stock theft. However, it is an international phenomenon and the UK, US and Australia have indicated that their farmers also struggle with this issue.

In the rest of Africa livestock theft is also a major challenge and arguably more so than in South Africa, he said. Stock theft in South Africa constitutes 1.1% of all crime but in African countries it represents between and 12% and 18% of all crime.