Cattle theft out of controll

BURGERSFORT – A massacre bloodbath is no longer unusual for livestock farmers, as cattle are being slaughtered in inhumane ways and sometimes gutted in an attempt to steal them.

As a preventative measure, Van Antwerpen now keeps his cattle close to home. He counts them every day. About two weeks ago his animal herder alerted him that a large quantity of the cattle had gone missing. By the time they discovered it, the culprits were already on their way over the mountains with, what was later calculated, 30 in total. Some of the cows were in young or either had calves.

Some of them were beaten with a panga, leaving gaps of flesh hanging from their heads, while others were beaten so badly that their hoofs broke and shredded and their backs were raw from being hit continuosly by sticks.

“My advice to fellow farmers is that we need each other. Know your neighbours. When something goes wrong, you have people to rely on. I wouldn’t have been able to get my cattle back if it wasn’t for my friends and neighbours, and I want to thank them out of my heart,” added Van Antwerpen.