The incident took place last Friday on the N1 highway about 20 km north of Vanderbijlpark, not far from the Gasmere Plaza tollgate. The trailer carrying the livestock caught fire at approximately 04:00 when the truck was travelling in the direction of Johannesburg. All eight of the wheels at the back of the two axis were completely burnt. Five of the cattle in the back of the trailer succumbed to the flames.
Emfuleni Fire and Rescue extinguished the fire. Members of the SPCA were called out and two more cattle were euthanised on the scene. Four other cattle that tried to run away were hit by vehicles on the highway and died. The SPCA tried to control the traffic until 06:00 when the Traffic Department arrived. Residents of the township nearby were running back and forth across the highway to move the carcasses from the trailer.
They started slaughtering the carcasses on the middleman right next to the highway. Armed with weapons such as pangas, knives, butcher knives, axes, bags and wheelbarrows they carried the meat away, piece by piece. Some of the cattle were burnt to a crisp. and those who came for their piece of the action had to be satisfied with the intestines that were left behind. All that was left after a while were some horns and some blood spatter. The SPCA organised transport for the cattle that survived and they were taken to a place where they were given food and water.
