Get more jail time for stock thieves

With farmers and organised agriculture continuously seeking better ways to catch and effectively prosecute stock thieves, a determined Mpumalanga anti-stock theft crusader has suggested an additional legal method to punish those behind the scourge. Johannes Klopper of the Ermelo branch of the National Wool ­Growers’ Association has told livestock ­farmers at a regional meeting of the KZN Red Meat Producers’ Organisation held in Mooi River recently, that they should, wherever possible, add a charge of cruelty to animals when ­opening a case against stock thieves. “When there has been a stock theft incident, there will very often also be evidence of terrible cruelty to animals. I have seen cases where animals have been forced into dams where they have been cut up as they lie drowning in the water. I have also experienced cases where live animals have been hamstrung so that they cannot get away from the thieves,” Klopper told his audience. He urged farmers to take as many photos as possible of the scene of the crime, and to use this highly emotive evidence during court appearances of the accused to sway the prosecution and the judge into handing out the stiffest sentences possible for animal cruelty on top of a prosecution of stock theft. “Although the thieves invariably only serve a small portion of their sentences before being released again, it can still act as a significant deterrent to them. In addition, the joint sentences can result in a longer prison sentence for a convicted stock thief. It’s also a good idea to have stock thieves kept under surveillance after they’ve been released. If they’re caught again, the judge will definitely give them a much harsher sentence. And remember to report each and every stock theft or animal cruelty incident to both your local police and local stock theft unit, even if you feel that it’s a waste of time.”