Police spokesperson, Amanda Funani, tells OFM News the official, Beatrice Mopai, was arrested on Tuesday 10 September after Sonop Township residents alerted authorities about the suspicious presence of livestock in the area. Funani says four sheep were allegedly discovered in the suspect’s kraal by the police who then probed Mopai on the matter. She was arrested after failing to account where she purchased the stock and appeared before the Local Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. She was granted R1000 bail. The official was stationed at the Brits Police Station.

On the day Mopai appeared in court for alleged stock theft, the head of the Police Crime Research and Statistics, Norman Sekhukhune, revealed in a briefing to members of the Portfolio Committee on Police that stock theft increased by 2,9% over the course of 2018/19. He says it is the biggest increase in the property-related crime category. Sekhukhune spoke on the problem, adding that it has been increasing for the third consecutive year. “Stock theft has been increasing across all nine provinces,” says Sekhukhune. He adds that the value of the animals stolen is in the millions. While Committee members asked Police Minister, Bheki Cele, to elaborate on crimes as a result of police action, no questions were raised pertaining to the rise in stock theft and the possible involvement of police officials. It isn’t the first time in Central South Africa that police officials have been linked to stock theft. A police detective was implicated in a stock theft incident just outside of Bloemfontein in April 2019.

OFM News