Two men were arrested in the early hours of Friday morning (October 9) after officers attached to the Siyabopha District Stock Theft Task Team were alerted about the slaughtering of cows along the eMondlo road just outside of Vryheid, near Brakfontein farm.
When police arrived at the scene, they encountered five men, three of whom fled the scene. The other two men were immediately arrested.
Five head of cattle had been slaughtered; the skin had not yet been removed. It was discovered that all five cows were pregnant.
Police recovered the carcasses, as well as ropes, axes and knives. The suspects were taken to Vryheid police station, where they were charged with stock theft, cruelty to animals, defeating the ends of justice and possession of dangerous weapons. The vehicle used in the crime belongs to one of the suspects, who is allegedly a senior court official in Pongola. The vehicle was seized by police.
There will be an investigation to possibly link them to other similar cases. The owner of the livestock positively identified her animals; she wasn’t even aware of the theft at the time. The suspects appeared in court on Monday.
“We will continue with such operations to curb stock theft in the province and we will not be deterred by the status of the criminals,” said Acting KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Major General Thulani Gonya.
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