Photo: SAPS
Stock theft remains a pressing issue across South Africa’s rural farming areas, with the Eastern Cape recording the highest number of reported cases and livestock stolen nationally.
Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Coert Jordaan, chairperson of Rural Safety on the Agri Eastern Cape (Agri EC) board, said syndicates were heavily involved.
“Stock theft is rife in the Eastern Cape. [Looking at] the national statistics, it is the province with the highest number of stock theft cases that get reported and the highest number of stock stolen. Syndicates are definitely involved, as large numbers of stock are stolen each time,” he said.
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He added that sporadic one-off thefts occurred but did not compare to the organised syndicates behind large-scale thefts.
According to Jordaan, despite the scale of the problem, however, many farmers did not report thefts because of a lack of confidence in police follow-up.
He added that, in many cases, the South African Police Service (SAPS) claimed they did not have transport or workforce to attend to cases promptly, and it was often days before stock theft units attended to crime scenes.
Jordaan warned that delays resulted in lost leads, and even when suspects were arrested, prosecutions often stalled.
“Cases get numerous remands, resulting in complainants losing interest and witnesses disappearing. Stock thieves then continue with their criminal activities, as there are no consequences for their actions,” he explained.
According to him, farmers were investing heavily in private security and surveillance systems to protect their livelihoods.
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“Farmers are spending millions of rands on security companies for patrols. However, security companies have limitations when it comes to arrests and seizures,” he added.
Jordaan said he was disappointed in the incomplete implementation of the National Rural Safety Strategy in the province.
“There are structures at provincial, district, and station level to address rural safety. Agri EC is actively involved, but from the SAPS side, there is no real commitment, interest, or action. If the SAPS treated stock theft as a priority crime, the situation could be turned around,” he said.
Stock theft is not limited to the Eastern Cape, though. Recent media statements from the SAPS illustrated the widespread nature of the issue.
In the Northern Cape, police arrested a 33-year-old man in Petrusville in July following a local farmer’s report of a missing sheep. During a search of the suspect’s residence, police found a sheep carcass and skin matching the sheep in the report.
Earlier this month, the Stock Theft Unit in Lebowakgomo, Limpopo, launched a search after three goats worth a total of R8 200 were stolen from a kraal where the fence and gate had been forcibly damaged.
In a recent statement, the SAPS said it continued to advise farmers on steps to reduce the risk of stock theft.
These included fence and gate maintenance, personally inspecting and counting livestock on a regular basis, securing kraals and enclosures, branding livestock in line with legislation, installing CCTV and other security technologies, reporting suspicious activity immediately, and vetting employees to prevent insider theft.
