Rustenburg - Seven people including a woman were arrested for stock theft in Ottoshoop, near Mahikeng in North West province.
The seven were arrested at Zeekoe Vallei Farm for allegedly stealing cattle from a black farmer, Piet Tlhabanyane.
They were found with 27 cattle loaded on to a truck and a trailer. Some 18 cattle were found on a truck and nine on a trailer towed by a Land Cruiser. A total of 47 suspected stolen cattle to the value of R500 000 were found.
According to the provincial department of community safety and transport management, at around 2am Pastor Piet Tlhabanyane of the Zeekoe Vallei Farm in Ottoshoop, near Mafikeng, was called by his herder, who informed him of a theft that was under way.
"They alerted the police and the seven suspects, including a woman and two African males, were apprehended with two trucks loaded with cattle," departmental spokesperson Oshebeng Koonyaditse said.
The group, aged between 25 and 49, were expected to appear in the Molopo Magistrate's Court in Mmabatho on Monday on charges of stock theft.
Community Safety and Transport Management MEC Sello Lehari expressed his gratitude to the SAPS for a swift response.
"People often accuse the police of a lacklustre response, and here we are with them having reacted with speed. The problem of stock theft in some parts of the province is rife, and hence the deputy minister (Cassel Mathale) was here last Saturday (November 5, 2022) to lead a community engagement on the same issue," Lehari said.
He appealed to the community to play a role in fighting crime, adding that often suspects were known and it was only through the support of community members that criminality could be fought.
Tlhabanyane said that when they arrived at the farm they counted the cattle and realised that 43 were missing, but found 27 scattered around the farm.
"We are still looking for 16 (cattle). It appears the suspects entered by breaking the locks of the main gate and our preliminary investigation indicates that they began loading around 7pm last night," Tlhabanyane said.
IOL