A FARMER has lost all his livestock due to theft in Zuurbekom, Gauteng.
Frustrated and heartbroken, Lebogang Shivambu (40), told Daily Sun that two weeks ago he woke up to a shock of his life when his brother informed him that all his 12 cattle were gone.
He said this has become a norm in Zuurbekom where farmers lose livestock, and nothing happened.
“At first, I lost about 15 sheep and I've opened a case with the police. The case has also vanished into thin air. Two weeks ago, I lost 12 cows. I had changed my breeding and had good breeds such as white brahman, braunvieh,” he said.
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Lebogang recalled how he received the news the morning after the incident.
He said his brother’s bedroom window faces the kraal and every morning he would see the cattle.
“That morning, as we realised that the cows were gone, we thought they had a fight and maybe left the kraal. We took it as one of those incidents. When we got into the kraal, we realised that the padlock was broken. That's when it hit me that the cows have been stolen,” he said.
The heartbroken farmer said they searched all over and found out that the fence at the corner of the plot has been cut open.
“It hit me so hard. I lost about R200k in one night. I'm heartbroken. Cows are not there for business only, they're an inheritance and you teach kids what to do when they take over the business. It's not about exchanging money. There's more to this business than exchanging money,” he said.
The farmer said most of the stock farmers in Zuurbekom have stopped farming.
“If nothing is done about stock theft it'll get out of hand. Proper laws into owning stock must be implemented to make it difficult for criminals to steal livestock knowing that nothing will happen to them,” he said.
Lebogang also recalled how Gauteng police recovered more than 400 stolen cattle in a chicken run in Zuurbekom.
Police spokeswoman Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed that a stock theft case has been opened for further investigation. No one has been arrested.
