Limpopo farmer finds stolen cows slaughtered

LIMPOPO – Oscar Sirovha, a farmer of Makhitha village in Kutama, says he was devastated after he discovered the remains of his stolen cows last Thursday. The cows, he said, had been stolen and slaughtered in the bushes at Muraleni.

Stock theft is rife in Kutama.

Last month, CV reported on the disappearance of stolen goats that still have not been located.

Two weeks, ago, six goats were found tied together with ropes in the bushes at Tshiozwi, and the community alerted the owner who removed his animals.

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Following the theft at his place, Sirovha mobilised the community to help find his cattle.

Skins, heads and parts of the intestines of the cattle were found in the bushes.

“Some of my cows were grazing in the bushes, but I later discovered that some of them were also missing. A few days later, I discovered my slaughtered cows, less than 5 kilometres away,” he said.

“It was like losing my children because I’ve raised these cows for years,” Sirovha said. He said someone out there was “enriching himself while the owners of the cattle are suffering”.

“Stock theft has become a nightmare for everyone who has invested in livestock in the area. The thieves got away with the meat of a cow. Now, nobody knows who did it. Livestock is part of our village strategy to fight poverty and unemployment. If our daily bread is taken away from us, how are we going to survive?” he asked.

He appealed to anyone with information to contact him or report the matter to the police.”We can have peace of mind only when the police catch these thugs.”

He said they were now forced to stay awake every night to guard their livestock.

Police spokesperson Serg Irene Radzilani confirmed that there had been an increase in complaints of stock theft in the Kutama and Sinthumule areas.

The police were called to the scene at the bushes, at the scene of the slaughtered cattle.

No arrests have been made yet.