Secunda Court finds four guilty of stock theft
If they are found guilty of a similar crime and cannot pay their fines, they will have to serve jail time.
The Secunda District Court imposed a fine on stock thieves Mzameleni Simenyelwa Sithole (41), Sonboy Mandla Masilela (23), Sfundo Lucas Sithole (41) and Njabulo Xaba (34).
If they are found guilty of a similar crime and cannot pay their fines, they will have to serve jail time. The four were arrested with two others on a farm in Trichardt, after a complaint was received of a burglar alarm at Farm Goedehoop on February 2, 2019.
When the complainant was looking through his house windows, he noticed two of the accused chasing and catching sheep. The complainant then informed the farm watch forum to close and monitor the road.
“While they were keeping an eye on the accused, the farm watch members noticed a Ford Bantam vehicle with no occupants, parked next to the road leading to the farm,” said Sergeant Thomas Mogadime, spokesperson for Bethal police.
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The men caught three sheep, tied them with shoelaces and wire and loaded them in the same vehicle seen parked next to the road. The complainant, with the assistance of the farm watch forum, managed to positively identify each sheep which had branding on the left ear.
The accused were handed to the police for further arrest and detention. The stolen and recovered sheep, valued at R3 600, were handed over to Gerhard Visser, the lawful owner.
After the matter was reported to the Trichardt police, they transferred the docket to the Bethal Stock Theft Unit where the case was allocated to Detective Sergeant James Mthimunye for further investigation. During their appearance in court, the magistrate withdrew charges against accused number four.
Further investigations led to the conviction of the suspects by the Secunda District Court. During their district court appearance on May 28, the magistrate found the four accused guilty of the offence committed.
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Three of the accused Mzameleni Simenyelwa Sithole, Sonboy Mandla Masilela and Sfundo Lucas Sithole were found guilty and fined R7 000 or five months imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that they would not be convicted of stock theft and contravening section 1 of Act 57 of 1959 or an attempt thereto, committed during the period of suspension.
In terms of section 103 of Act 60 of 2000 of the Firearm Control Act, all the accused are declared unfit to possess firearms.
Njabulo Xaba was also found guilty and fined R5 000 or in default of payment to a period of five months direct imprisonment, half of which is suspended for five years on condition he is not convicted of the same offence during the period of suspension.
He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.
