Willie Clack, chairperson of the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum, says that there are various reasons why people tend to not report crimes.

He says that one of the reasons is that people have a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. 

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Clack says this lack of trust has been increased after what has happened during the July unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

Another reason why people do not report crimes is that they feel that it is too trivial to report the crime, says Clack. This means that farmers feel that the one or two sheep that were stolen is not important.

However, he says that it does not matter how small the case may seem, it is important that it is reported to the police.

“We also have a tradition in South Africa to rather report crime on a WhatsApp group or to a security company and at the end of the day that does not mean anything. This is something that we really need to work on – that we do report crimes to police,” urges Clack.

He further says that the non-involvement in community stock theft centres or the local farm watch is also a problem and encourages farmers to be part of such organisations.

Furthermore, Clack adds that the forum is experiencing some challenges with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). “In our research, we have found that with livestock theft cases, the average times such cases are postponed is about eight times. So, if you do report a case, you must be prepared to go to court about eight or nine times,” says Clack.

He also explains that the forum has been asking for dedicated prosecutors for livestock theft cases in all provinces. This, as stock theft is a unique crime and does require specialised prosecutors.

Provinces that have such prosecutors are the Free State, North West, and KZN.

Additionally, the forum is also experiencing some challenges with the Department of Correctional Services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Clack says the department is releasing suspects as they regard livestock theft as a petty crime. He adds that the suspects then go back into the community and continue to commit crimes.

With regards to insurance companies, Clack says that “I think it’s time that the insurance companies in South Africa come to the party. These people know much more about crime than we do. They do have a lot of information.

“They do have a lot of data that they can provide to us, and if they do get this information, we know what people do insure and what they don’t insure. This will help us create better policies and prevent livestock theft,” concludes Clack.

Clack shared this information during his presentation at the Red Meat Producers Organisation's (RPO) annual congress.

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