Farmer loses 227 live chickens as stock theft continue to rise in Limpopo

LIMPOPO police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has ordered officers to use “all available means of resources” to apprehend suspects involved in the theft of 227 live chickens at a farm in Olifantspoort, Modimolle.

This comes as theft of livestock – especially goats, sheep and cattle – was on the increase in the province, with farmers in villages being the hardest hit.

In the latest incident, the complainant locked 374 live chickens in a cage on Sunday. He discovered the following morning that the mesh wire was forced opened.

On further investigation, he discovered that the cage was also forced opened on the left side and 227 live chickens were stolen.

The case is being investigated by the Modimolle Stock Theft Unit.

Stock theft continues to be on the rise in the province, sometimes leading to mob justice in rural areas.

The University of South Africa’s School of Justice has shown that stock theft poses a serious challenge to farmers’ operations and disrupts their livelihoods and economic stability. Farmers and the economy lose about R1, 4 billion per year through stock theft.