Gang networks target livestock
Livestock theft experts say animals stolen in the Western Cape and Northern Cape will be in Gauteng abattoir fridges, on butchery shelves or in auction houses’ animal pens within 24 hours of their theft.
This puts the province at the epicentre of organised crime networks trading in stolen livestock worth R1.3bn annually.
Farmers, police informants and the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum have described the operations of the crime syndicates, involving South Africans and citizens of Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique, as well-oiled machines.
Driving the multibillion-rand illicit economy, warns Willie Clack, forum chair, are rising food prices and farmers not branding their livestock.
“Annually in SA 105,000 sheep, 66,000 cattle and 45,000 goats are stolen. That’s R1.3bn worth of livestock stolen yearly.”
He said 87% of the thefts are committed by organised crime gangs. “Only 13% of livestock theft is committed by people stealing to feed their families.”
Dirk Strydom, a cattle farmer in Parys, Free State, recently recovered one of his
stolen bulls from a Gauteng auction house.
The R90,000 bull, which he had bought for breeding, had been sold for R23,000 for slaughter. Strydom said the auction house knew on Thursday that a bull was being brought for the Saturday auction as a known client had booked a pen.
He said the person who bought his bull alerted him after seeing a picture of the animal on a farming WhatsApp group.
“We were fortunate that we got it back. Two weeks ago three of my neighbour’s bulls were stolen. They are still missing.
“Two months ago four of my cows were slaughtered on the farm. All that was left were skins and ear tags,” said Strydom.
Also in the Free State, Senekal cattle farmer Selena Mosai said stock thieves are destroying farmers in the area.
“The thieves come to steal the animals to sell them to other farmers. Sometimes they sell the animals for the meat, but most times it’s to other farmers.
“In June I had to buy some of my own cows, which were stolen, back at an auction. A neighbour phoned and said that my cows were there. When I went there I saw them. They were not marked but I know my animals. The auction was for animals being sold
for meat, but my cows are dairy cows.
“These thieves work in gangs and sell them mostly to the big, rich farmers.”
Rudolph Otterman, farming in Olifantsnek, NorthWest, said two weeks ago thieves stole six of his cows.
“In eight years, 152 of my cows have been stolen, 52 of which were slaughtered.”
He said of those slaughtered, 46 were allegedly sold through an East Rand auction
house to butchers.
“We discovered this after the thieves were caught on another farm stealing cattle that same week.”
Bethlehem livestock farmer Richard Mashinini said in September thieves stole 15 sheep and 20 cows.
“My cows cost nearly R30,000 each. That’s a lot of money which they have stolen. In July they stole 20 of my sheep. All these
animals are taken to the auction and to the butchery where meat is sold.”
Jaco Taute, Gauteng Stock Theft Prevention Forum chair, said when auction houses closed because of foot & mouth disease, livestock theft in SA dropped by 50%.
“That points to auctioneers being volved in the sale of stolen livestock.”
Taute said their biggest theft case was the recovery of 59 cows in December 2019 from in
a West Rand auction house.
“The cows were stolen in the Western Cape, and were on auction the next day. We regularly recover animals stolen in KwaZuluNatal, Free State and the Eastern Cape.”
Taute said the agriculture department, police and the Agricultural Produce Agents Council [Apac], which regulates auction houses, need to crack down on livestock theft.
Clack said there is massive under-reporting of stock theft by farmers.
“Over 80% of livestock in SA are unmarked. Farmers are reluctant to mark their animals, partially because if the animal strays and a car hits it, they are liable.
“Despite the law being clear that unmarked animals are not allowed in auctions, many unidentified animals are auctioned. If auctioneers, like abattoirs, refuse to accept unidentified livestock, there won’t be places to dispose of suspected stolen livestock.”
Apac director Francois Knowles said its agents report suspected stolen livestock to the police. Police spokesperson Col Brenda Muridili did not respond to detailed questions, saying only that there are 90 stock theft units in SA; neither did the agriculture department respond.