WARNING: IMAGE OF SLAUGHTERED CATTLE BELOW.
Durban — Three suspects are expected to appear in the Vryheid Magistrate’s Court on Monday for stealing and slaughtering cattle in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Mondlo police arrested three suspects who were found with carcasses of four cattle that they allegedly stole from a kraal in the Mvunzini area in Mondlo on Thursday, November 28.
Mondlo is a township in Zululand District Municipality in KZN.
Netshiunda said that after the matter was reported to the police, a team of Crime Prevention and Community Service Centre officers, spearheaded by detectives, conducted an operation in the Madresini area.
“During the operation, the three suspects were found in possession of four carcasses of the suspected stolen cattle,” Netshiunda said.
“The suspects, aged 27, 38 and 39 years old, were due to appear in the Vryheid Magistrate’s Court today (Monday, December 2) on charges of possession of suspected stolen cattle and stock theft.”
Meanwhile, earlier this year the KZN Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) introduced specialised livestock branding to squeeze out stock theft.
This restored hope to Loskop livestock farmers who had been victims of stock theft when it introduced unique branding marks for each district. These were to make reuniting lost stock with owners simple and easy.
The department said livestock identification remains an effective means to curb stock theft.
At the time, former DARD MEC Super Zuma visited the Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality to create awareness and hand over branding kits. Zuma encouraged livestock association members and livestock owners to apply for brand mark certificates and to not waste any time legally branding their livestock.
He said steps need to be taken by the Department of Justice to increase fines or mandatory jail terms for stock theft as a more serious deterrent for thieves. The department, along with the Road Traffic Inspectorate and the SAPS Stock Theft Unit, will conduct more roadblocks during peak stock theft periods and will team up with existing structures such as the Provincial Task Team in awareness and training campaigns.
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Daily News