NIEU-BETHESDA — The past few weeks have seen a dramatic increase in stock theft in and around the Nieu-Bethesda area.
What is disturbing is that some of the incidents are marked by unspeakable cruelty to the animals that are victim to these crimes.
On the morning of October 27, Suenette and Dewald Vosloo, farmers on ‘The Glen’, were informed by Robert Rubidge of Wellwood about two sheep carcasses at the lay-bye on the N9 between Graaff-Reinet and Middelburg.
On arrival at the scene, their son discovered a further nine dead ewes – all with their throats slit. A member of the Stock Theft Unit happened to pass by and made calls to the correct authorities who quickly drove out to investigate.
The unit then discovered another 15 skins of ewes that had been slaughtered in the veld. Lambs were running around frantically bleating for their dead mothers. According to Suenette Vosloo, the horror and vindictiveness of such slaughter are emotionally and financially devastating for farmers.
Many of the animals that are killed are simply left to rot in the veld – the meat is not removed. It is not known if all of the animals are dead before their meat is hacked from them. Some of the dead ewes were pregnant. A case of stock theft has been opened and the Vosloos are grateful for the quick response of the Stock Theft Unit.
According to Captain Oosthuizen of the Graaff-Reinet SAPS, stock theft has been relatively under control over the past year.
He said, however, that since October 21, there has been an increasing amount of sheep being slaughtered along the N9 and along arterial routes - culminating in three cases this past week.
The Stock Theft Unit were called out and investigated the scenes and they have good leads.
On Riel Malan’s farm, De Toren, 10 sheep were killed and removed from the scene. Fifteen lambs were also killed and removed on ‘Aloe Ridge’ - the farm of Mr Dugmore. Captain Oosthuizen stated that vehicles had to have been involved to remove the quantity of stock from the scenes. A thorough investigation is underway regarding all of these cases.
While the scale of these operations is large, other incidents of theft happen on a regular basis on farms closer to the village. Both Kleintjie Pienaar and Robert Rubidge lose sheep to opportunistic thieves.
Farmer, Riel Malan, whose Padstal at De Toren was also broken into recently, with a large quantity of biltong and other comestibles being stolen, expressed concern that perpetrators often get away with theft.
He stated that while villagers often know who the thieves are, not enough is done to bring them to book and there are no consequences for their actions. Regarding stock theft, Malan says he has lost 270 sheep in the last 7 years on De Toren. The economic implications of this are staggering and make farming an extremely stressful profession.
According to Captain Oosthuizen the following steps can be taken by sheep farmers to try to put an end to stock theft:
• Camps should be visited after hours – stock thieves keep an eye on camps and as soon as staff moves off the property they strike.
• Make a habit of driving alongside your fences and boundaries after dusk, especially if there is a problem with stock theft in the area.
• Do not underestimate the valuable assistance of your farm workers. Engage them in assisting with observation after hours using a roster system. Encourage them to be aware of strangers walking on the property and unusual movement after hours.
• Encourage staff to gather information heard ‘on the street’.
• Be particularly vigilant during popular soap operas and rugby matches on TV as this is the time when thieves strike as they know no one is on patrol.
• Ensure stock cannot escape onto the road due to faulty fences – this encourages stock theft.
• All members of the community can report suspicious looking vehicles to the stock theft unit.
• Report each and every case to the SAPS – The phone number for the stock theft unit is 082 412 6971.
The brutal crime of stock theft is an ongoing problem for the farming community and indirectly affects staff and the greater community as well. Captain Oosthuizen and the SAPS are doing all that they can to put a stop to this problem and hope that with the assistance and vigilance of people who care, these cruel crimes can come to an end.
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