20 Jan 2016

Police in Letlhakeng have raised concern over the high rate of stock theft cases in cattle posts surrounding the three villages of Khudumelapye, Sorilatholo and Diphuduhudu.

Addressing farmers in Sorilatholo , Letlhakeng station commander Supt Christopher Molobe reported that the area registered the highest number of stock theft cases in his policing area in 2014 with 19 cases involving a total number of 35 animals.

He said the number of cases rose the following year to 30 with 70 animals stolen.He said most perpetrators in such cases were herdsmen. Supt Molobe encouraged farmers to frequently visit their cattleposts so as to give the herdsmen little chance of planning such crimes.

“There are instances where some farmers in the area do not even know their cattle. This is because they leave everything in the hands of the herdsmen and only come after a long time. This gives the herdsmen plenty of time to plan such criminal activities as selling cattle,” he said.

Supt Molobe said police did not have enough vehicles to speedily address the situation. He said the terrain was also a challenge as it could only be traversed by off-road vehicles.

He said police were receptive to transportation on private vehicles to attend to stock theft reports. Supt Molobe also encouraged farmers in the area to report stray cattle within 30 days as the law stipulates, saying failure to do so may tempt herdsmen to help themselves to them.

He also advised that as a way to fight stock theft, farmers should ear-tag their calves as early as three months old. He also raised concern over butchery owners who have the tendency of buying cattle and slaughtering them in the bush, then selling the meat without inspection. He said such raises suspicions of whether such cattle were procured legally.

When commenting, farmers pleaded that in the next meeting, vital offices such as the land board and matimela should attend to address their concerns. They accused the land board of allocating ploughing fields next to grazing areas, saying the practice is the cause of conflicts between farmers.

They also complained about people who use boreholes meant for irrigation to water their cattle. They said that the land board is slow in addressing the matter even though it has been reported many times.

The farmers also complained that the Matimela office takes long to collect the reported astray cattle, which leads to herdsmen selling or killing them. One herdman, Mr Gotshwanetse Dibotseng from Diphuduhudu, said that stock theft can be better handled by herdsmen and their employers.

He said that the crime is caused by employers who still pay peanuts amidst the ever increasing prices of basic commodities such as clothing and food. He also decried the fact that some employers never give herdsmen days off to check on their families and relatives.

He advised fellow herdsmen to refuse to be over-delegated by their employers, saying it is time the employers take responsibility and desist from being absentee-farmers.

Supt Molobe promised to take up their concerns with the relevant offices. In his welcome remarks, Kgosi Olebetse Phemelo said the meeting gave the leadership a chance to appreciate the challenges that farmers face. BOPA