Cattle producers have expressed concern over an increase in thefts in Nkamazi Mpumalanga after fourteen cattle were found illegally slaughtered in Mandula and surrounding Nkamazi villages.
Devastated ranchers say the incidents have been going on for months. They claim that when they do report these cases, the police are slow to act and the culprits are never apprehended.
Livestock farmers are living in fear after more than 30 head of cattle were stolen in the area. Concerned farmers say they have been waking up to new cases of livestock theft for months. With the holiday season approaching and the demand for meat, they are even more worried.
Fourteen cattle were found between October and November.
“We have a problem of thieves stealing our livestock and we are worried because we report these cases to the police and they come here, take statements but they don’t come back to confirm if they have apprehended the suspects and it becomes this a problem for us because our cattle are getting lost, it is a serious problem. About 14 cattle were killed in Mandula and they were killed on different days,” says Joseph Mhabela, one of the farmers.
A suspected syndicate
Farmers claim that in October, they found eight dead cattle along the railway line. They fear a syndicate is operating in the area and blame the police for not arresting the criminals.
According to cattle farmer Frans Mabaso, they do report these theft cases, but no one pays attention to them.
“We don’t get any help from the police, they come and take statements and leave forever, they don’t come back to give us feedback after that, we are concerned as the December holidays are coming up – things could get worse. on our side and we will be forced to stay in the bush day and night,” says Mabaso.
Security issues
Police in Mpumalanga have confirmed that they are aware of the share theft in Nkamazi area and are doing everything they can to investigate the syndicate.
According to provincial police spokesperson Selvi Mohlala, “as a police force, we are doing everything we can to try to apprehend the suspect, but we have problems that we also need help, especially with the owners of stock, they leave their stock overnight, which creates a special environment conducive to thieves to steal their stock.”
“Last week we apprehended one suspect that we found with a group of cattle and luckily we were able to inform the owner, another issue is the branding because most of the time when we find that particular one cattle is a problem because most of them are not branded,” Mohlala added.
The police urged livestock farmers to hire people to look after their livestock.
