Elmon Tshikhudo
Their cows were being slaughtered every week, and their chopped up remains were always left for them to find and clean up, so farmers in Nngwekhuku in Vuwani, Limpopo hatched a plan to catch the thieves.
They started patrolling the areas they believed thieves operated in, where they had before killed the cows and sliced their meat without being seen.
On Friday night, their plan finally paid off when they caught the thieves in the act.
One of the farmers in the area, Hulisani Sithagu, said when the suspects saw they had been bust, they fled in a bakkie. One of the suspects was hiding away in the bushes. They were caught with four cows, two already dead and two were still alive but badly wounded on their knees.
“We believe their knees were hacked so that they could not run away,” Sithagu explained.
“We tried catching the suspects but they managed to flee in a bakkie.”
The farmers, not willing to let the men get away without a fight, pursued the rustlers and a high speed chase soon gave way.
“We gave chase and two jumped out of the bakkie and ran to the bushes.”
They got away, but a piece of luck came the farmers’ way.
“Luckily we knew the owner of the bakkie and we lay in wait at his home. We called him and told him it was better to hand himself to the police. He was charged with stock theft,” Sithagu said.
A local resident, Stephen Liphadzi, has been arrested and he appeared in court on charges of stock theft.
Sithagu said they have since found out that their cattle were being sold to those who sell meat at social grant pay points and small village butcheries.
They had to put down one of them because of the severity of the wounds. One is still recovering from its wounds.
In recent years, more than thirty herds of cattle have been stolen from the surrounding villages.
Livestock farmer leader Frank Mabasa said the community had grown tired of the theft.
“The guy confessed that he sells the meat to those in informal markets.” He said this was bad for small scale farmers who depend on selling these cattle for their livelihood.
“People who never sweat are the ones reaping the fruits of our labour. We are very frustrated as farmers. We have lost a lot and this has been going on for a long time,” Mabasa said.
The suspect was not granted bail and his case was postponed to 27 July 2021.
