24 Aug 2017

Sojwe Police Station Commander, Superintendent Joubert Kome says they have detained four men for the possession of 12 cattle which they failed to account for at Mahatlhe lands on Sunday.

He said the four suspects, who were currently under police custody, include a 70-year-old man and his three sons aged between 29 and 35. Supt Kome said the four failed to provide identification of the animal brands on the cattle they were in possession of.

“We received an anonymous tip that there was a kraal that had cattle suspected to have been stolen. We found the suspects at the said kraal, and we established that the cattle do not belong to them,” he said.

Supt Kome said three out of the 12 cattle were calves, and that one of the cattle was already killed. He added that one of the cattle’s brands had been destroyed.

Supt Kome said the owners of the cattle have not yet been identified and that investigations were ongoing. He also said the suspects would appear before court on stock theft charges. Supt Kome advised farmers to look after their cattle, and not to rely on herd boys as they also get implicated in stock theft cases.

“We have realised that stock theft cases are on the rise in Kweneng despite our efforts to curb such. We plead with the community to work with us to achieve results,” he said.

He advised farmers to always ensure that their cattle were branded, and that the brand certificates were kept safe.

Still on the issue of stock theft, farmers at the recent general meeting of the Kweneng Beef Farmers Association expressed concern at the high rate of stock theft in the area.

Mr Lebopo Letina, a farmer in Diphuduhudu, said although they always give the police tip offs, they were not protected as the culprits always find out who informed the police. However, they were assured of anonymity once they provided the police with tip offs. ENDS