Stock theft is a significant issue in South Africa, crippling farmers in rural areas. The theft of livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats, poses a serious challenge to farmers’ operations and impacts their livelihoods and economic stability.
In a recent Red Meat Industry Services (RMIS) webinar on livestock theft and possible preventative measures, Willie Clark, senior lecturer at the University of South Africa’s School of Criminal Justice, said although stock theft is not a new thing, in the past years farmers have been hit hard.
Clark said the country is sitting with a big problem and farmers and the economy are bleeding around R1.4 billion per year because of stock theft.
Eastern Cape, KZN hardest hit
Clark explained that while stock theft is a big deal, it only accounts for between 1.3-16% of crime in South Africa, which is a drop in the ocean. He added that in the past six years, the statistics of stock theft reported to the South African Police Service have not reached the 2% mark.
“From a farmer’s perspective, livestock theft is not only an economic crime but also an emotional one. Speaking as a farmer myself, I understand that farmers have an emotional bond with their livestock, and having your livestock wiped away is a huge setback.
“Really, the fact of the matter is that only 1.4% of inmates that are in prison are there for stock theft. Which can be easily translated to about eight people in each prison might be there for stock theft,” he said.
He noted, however, that the country might be winning the battle against stock theft as the number of cases reported from 2015 have gone down.
“Technology is playing a key role in the decline. But there is a concern because provinces like the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal are still accounting for the highest stock theft.
“The Eastern Cape is a big problem with sheep, while KwaZulu-Natal is high with cattle. Also we have hot spot stations in South Africa, for example, goat theft is on the rise in North West around Taung villages,” he said.
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Mitigating measures to prevent theft
Meanwhile, the director of Find Me Security Technology Justice Maphosa said it is important that farmers go back to basics and brand their livestock to ensure they are able to trace them.
“It is very important to brand one’s livestock because it is more like an identification because when they are found, it is better to pinpoint who the owner is. In most cases, people use the power of social media to share that livestock has been found but when it does not have a brand mark, such efforts end up not fruitful,” he said.
Maphosa advised farmers to engage with their respective provincial departments to brand their livestock and said it is not expensive as it costs only R200 to do it.
“Through our company, we recommend eartags for farmers and we also do tracking for livestock. When a farmer wants to know where their herd is, we come in to help. We have reached places like Thaba Nchu in the Free State to reach out to farmers in rural communities who like what we do,” he said.
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