This issue was brought to light when the National Emergent Redmeat Producers’ Organisation (Nerpo) visited farmers in the North West to address the challenges they are facing. This is part of the organisation’s nationwide campaign to interact with farmers to hear what issues need help solving. The group managing director of Nerpo, Aggrey Mahanjana, says allegations that some members of the South African Police Services (SAPS) are involved in the crime were also made. 

Here is Mahanjana…

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Mahanjana says it does not seem as if the police in the North West are winning the battle with stock theft as farmers are still being plagued by this crime. He says, unfortunately, in some instances, police officials are caught participating in stock theft, which should not be the case.

“You know, when you listen to the stories of the farmers, you really want to cry. You’ll find that in some instances a truck, fully loaded with stolen cattle, was being escorted by a police van with a blue light…” says Mahanjana. He means the country cannot fight the plight of stock theft if some police officials are participating in the crime.

Mahanjana further states that farmers get discouraged by continuously complaining to the state, and therefore have now found ways to prevent stock theft on their farms.

He says in order to address the issue of stock theft, some farmers have employed private security companies and installed surveillance cameras at strategic points in and around their farms. He says these farmers have also formed WhatsApp groups where they share information about suspicious-looking individuals and vehicles in their areas. He adds that some of these farmers are able to successfully catch stock thieves without the help of the police. “What discourages them is that when those thieves are put in jail, the following day they are back on the streets,” he adds.

Mahanjana says, unfortunately, some of the black farmers do not have the resources to be able to afford the abovementioned interventions as their farms “are not really making money". He says one of the organisation’s goals is to approach President Cyril Ramaphosa and ask him to assist in making funding available to assist smallholder farmers with security interventions.

OFM News reported last month that farmers in Bethlehem and surrounding areas in the Free State also raised concerns with Police Minister, Bheki Cele, that they are suspecting that some police officials are involved in stock theft. The chairperson of the Bethlehem Agriculture Union and Security, Herkie Viljoen, told Cele that farmers in the Eastern Free State lose more than R1 million to stock theft on a monthly basis. This meeting comes after public violence erupted on 6 October at the Senekal Magistrate's Court during the appearance of two men accused of killing 21-year-old farm manager, Brendin Horner, at Paul Roux. According to reports, the Hawks have confirmed that they received a report last year which alleged that some police officers were involved in livestock theft in Paul Roux and Senekal in the Free State.

Nerpo’s engagement with farmers in the North West follows a recent meeting between the organisation and the Provincial Eastern Cape government, to tackle the issue of stock theft and other related concerns from farming communities. Mahanjana says farmers are constantly seeking government intervention and therefore the organisation is availing itself to engage directly with farming communities and to provide tangible solutions where possible.

Nerpo will be visiting Limpopo this week, whereafter the organisation will pay a visit to farmers in the Free State, the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga.

OFM News