Pretoria – A 29-year-old man, Sinethemba Ntsibande, was granted R1 500 bail after being arrested in Bethal, Mpumalanga for allegedly stealing cattle.
“This came as the effort doubled by members of Bethal Stock Theft Unit to clamp down on stock thieves that are troubling farmers in the area,” Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said.
“Members (police officers) conducted a disruptive operation between Bethal and Kriel, the R545 Road, when they stopped a white Toyota Hilux bakkie pulling a trailer loaded with cattle which were six cows.”
The man in possession of the cattle told police that he owned the animals but his assertions crumbled when the alert police officers asked him to give the description of the brand marks.
Police’s preliminary investigations picked the rightful owner of the cattle who positively described the brand marks, and identified the stock as his.
“The cattle were handed back to the owner as he had already reported and registered a stock theft case with Leslie SAPS on Friday, 12 August,” said Mohlala.
“The suspect, Sinethemba Ntsibande was arrested and charged for being in possession of suspected stolen property, the livestock. He appeared (on Monday) 15 August 2022 at the Leslie Magistrate’s Court facing the said charges. He was released on R1 500 bail and the case was postponed to 5 October 2022 pending further investigation.”
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has commended the officers involved in tracking stock theft in the province.
“We hope that the arrest will somehow encourage the public to keep on trusting police with information which will assist in their endeavour to win the battle against stock theft,” she said.
IOL