[SENSITIVE IMAGE] Farmer offers R10 000 reward for info on cattle thieves
A R10 000 reward was offered to anyone supplying a farmer with information leading to the police arrest of cattle thieves who have already caused losses of thousands of Rand.
POLOKWANE – Henning van Aswegen farms close to the Silicon plant on the farm called Klipspruit, near the Palmietfontein smallholdings and says he is not the only farmer who has suffered losses by losing cattle, and that at least two of his neighbours have lost animals too.
It seems as if a syndicate is operating in the area, Van Aswegen said. Just more than a week ago he lost two heads of cattle.
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In October they lost four cattle, one of which he himself had to kill because the thieves chopped off the hocks of the cattle, disabling them and then killed them. If the hocks are chopped off, the cattle cannot walk any further, and then they are chopped up for meat. One of the cows they killed this week was a calf.
Thieves cut out the foetus and left it in the field. The other one was injured but left, without being able to walk, after the culprits seemingly left in a hurry.
“Sometimes they just take the best parts, and leave the rest behind, if they are in a hurry. These four they killed were milking cows, which supplied the farm with milk, and therefore very valuable to us.”
In August, another five cattle were slaughtered in this inhumane way, and in October 2017 another four animals were killed. His neighbours also lost cattle in this way.
“During the festive season they are looking for fat animals, and unfortunately those who look fat are the ones about to calve,” he said.
He did contact the police’s Stock Theft Unit, supplied the address and phone numbers of people who know more about these thefts and supplied them with information, but to no avail.
“I gave the number of these people to the unit last year in October, they just say they can’t manage to get hold of these people. The only take our testimony and that is where it ends. Nothing further. It stops there. The farmers help each other and take the spoor of these culprits, but so far nothing has helped, they lost the spoor every time so far.”
Van Aswegen said they have sent strange, unknown workers to find out what has happened to the meat, as they themselves and their workers are known to the perpetrators. Van Aswegen’s son, Johan, told BONUS his father is 72 years old and still patrols the farm himself, trying to curtail his losses.
Early last year, Review, BONUS’ sister publication, reported on the SAPS Stock Theft Unit that recovered cattle said to have been stolen from the Palmietfontein Plots.
“Some 31 heads of cattle were stolen from a smallholding between 20 and 21 February, Police Spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe said at the time.
“The police investigation led them to a farm next to Ga Mojapelo village near Mankweng, where they found suspects making fire in order to brand the stolen cattle. The suspects fled into the bushes and abandoned a vehicle.”
The Provincial Police Commissioner, Lt Genl Nneke Ledwaba, last year expressed his concern about the increase in incidents of stock theft. He met all the CPF Chairpersons, and the Provincial Board, coordinated by the Provincial Head of Crime Prevention, Brigadier Sam Mokgonyana to develop and implement more community-based crime prevention strategies in terms of community concerns and complaints. He also encouraged all the CPF structures to work closely with the police management at all levels in order to win the fight against crime and to address all the policing concerns and complaints by the individual members of the community, community leaders, community structures, the business community and the farming communities.
Anyone with information about these suspects may contact the nearest police station, the 24-hour crime stop number 08600 10111, the crime line SMS, 32211 or the farmer at 073 971 9858 or 083 623 2001.
