Picture: Saps/ Supplied
Stock theft in South Africa has reached crisis proportions, with official statistics revealing only a fraction of the actual problem.
In response to a parliamentary question from African Transformation Movement (ATM) Member of Parliament Thandiswa Linnen Marawu, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that 1 283 cases of stolen cattle were reported in Ficksburg, in the Free State, and surrounding areas alone during the 2023/24 financial year.
However, experts say these numbers barely scratch the surface of the country’s true extent of livestock theft.
Dr Jane Buys, Free State Agriculture’s safety and risk analyst, estimates that between 60% and 70% of stock theft cases go unreported, suggesting the actual figures could be four times higher than official statistics.
While reported cases have decreased from nearly 30 000 in 2018 to about 24 025 currently, this decline may not reflect reality.
“During the December [2024] festive season, surveys in the Free State revealed that in 59 cases, criminals stole an average of 15 to 16 animals per incident, with some cases involving up to 100 animals, whether sheep or cattle,” Buys explains.
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The nature of stock theft has evolved significantly, warranting reclassification as organised crime rather than individual criminal activity.
“It’s a crime perpetrated by a group of people, and they’re also operating in syndicates,” Buys notes.
“Everyone’s got a specific role to play in that group or syndicate. When you deal with organised crime, you’re also dealing with some sort of police involvement or police corruption.”
The violence associated with these crimes has also escalated. “We regard it now these days as a serious and violent crime because a lot of these criminals are armed,” Buys explained.
“They are willing to execute a lot of violence. We’ve seen quite a number of shootings between the police and the livestock thieves, and also the SANDF [South African National Defence Force] at the borders, and also between the farmers.”
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The problem is particularly acute in border regions, where sophisticated criminal syndicates operate with impunity.
“Stock theft should be categorised as a serious and violent crime because a lot of these criminals are armed. They are willing to execute a lot of violence,” Buys told The Citizen.
She noted that the Thabo Mofutsanyana district, which includes 10 of the 13 border towns, accounts for “between 37% to 45% of the reported livestock theft cases in the Free State.”
Law enforcement faces significant challenges in addressing the crisis.
Ben Almero, a security expert, described the cross-border trafficking methods.
“What they usually do is they steal cattle in South Africa, take it over the border. Then, we got a cooling time frame… between one and three weeks. After three weeks, they bring it back to South Africa, then the suspects load it, taking it to various auction houses.”
He added, “When they cross the border to Lesotho, they rebrand it…they took the standard brand marks that are registered on the cattle, and they bothered tampering with it.”
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In his parliamentary response, Mchunu revealed measures used to combat the stock theft problem.
To address rural safety and cross-border crime affecting border towns, the following measures are in place:
Mchunu added that the Free State province holds quarterly bilateral meetings with neighbouring provinces and Lesotho to address cross-border crimes, including stock theft.
According to the minister, the province has 11 units dedicated to investigating stock theft, and the Office of the Provincial Commissioner provides support as needed.
The government’s response has been hampered by severe resource constraints.
“There’s less detectives at the stock theft units employed. There’s also less visible policing members,” Buys notes, pointing to a 50% -60% decrease in detective numbers over the past decade.
Almero provides a stark example: “There is one stock theft unit based in Lady Brandt, and it is serving nine stations, towns in the area with only four people.”
Meanwhile, Mchunu outlined several measures being implemented to address the crisis, including “regular cross-border and bi-lateral operations… between the Saps in the Free State and the Lesotho Mounted Police.”
Mchunu also said his ministry established Rural Safety Committees and Stock Theft Forums at station, district, and provincial levels while conducting quarterly bilateral meetings with neighbouring provinces and Lesotho to address cross-border crime.
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New technologies offer some hope for combating stock theft.
Almero advocates for “agrifacial recognition,” a system imported from Australia that uses unique nose patterns for livestock identification.
“Every cow and every sheep and every goat’s nose is specific to each DNA. If their [livestock] noses are scanned and put on a database… it can show us who’s the owner… it is 97% efficient,” he explains, adding that, unlike traditional branding, “there’s no way to depo the system.”
However, Buys cautions that while technological solutions show promise, they aren’t yet incorporated into South African legislation.
Current laws require formal cattle identification through the Department of Register of Identification, with DNA testing available but proving “quite a long, lengthy process, and it takes a long time to get the results.”
While farmers and livestock owners await the possible introduction of facial recognition technology to protect their assets, Almero noted other security measures.
“People are using the GPS collars that they put around the neck, and then they track them. But the problem is there’s a lot of network problems, he said, while also noting the price restrictions of these gadgets.
While GPS tracking is effective, it’s also expensive. In contrast, Almero said agrifacial recognition is a more affordable option.
Additionally, he said hiring security guards to monitor cattle at night can also be effective, but it comes with a high cost.
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The impact on farming communities has been devastating.
“During the past three years, 18 farmers have stopped farming due to the impact of criminality on their farms,” Buys reveals.
The problem is exacerbated by internal threats, as Almero notes: “We did polygraphs last year and we had a 40% striking rate… if there’s 10 people, all of them are guilty of involving in stockfish because there’s a huge amount of money that they get out of it.”
Both experts agree that current government efforts are insufficient.
“Saps got a mandate in the Constitution and by legislation and law to protect the inhabitants of this country, to investigate crime, to detect and apprehend criminals, and to uphold law and order,” Buys states.
However, she maintains that addressing stock theft requires a collaborative effort between the farming community, Saps, and SANDF at the borders.
Almero suggests additional measures, including legislation to restrict nighttime livestock transport.
“If they can prohibit and bring a new law in that every stock theft or every cattle or sheep or goats is prohibited to travel on transport during night times between 6 and 6 the next morning, we will also differ and make a difference in the stock price.”
The crisis continues to evolve, with internal threats also playing a significant role. “We did polygraphs last year, and we had a 40% striking rate,” Almero reveals.
“If there’s 10 people, all of them are guilty of involvement in stock theft because there’s a huge amount of money that they get out of it.”
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