FEMALE MADIBHANE, THREE OTHERS HELD FOR CATTLE THEFT

BUHLENI – If you have been enjoying roasted beef in some of the country’s butcheries, you may have eaten meat from stolen cattle.

Several butcheries are said to have been targeted by a syndicate of rustlers who are said to have stolen beasts adding up to a value of at least E100 000.
Details of the butcheries implicated will not be mentioned as investigations are still ongoing in the matter.

An intensive investigation led by Buhleni detectives, in collaboration with some from Pigg’s Peak Police Station, has resulted in the arrest of four people, including a veterinary assistant, popularly referred to as madibhane.

arrested

Esther Matsinye (30), who is a veterinary assistant under the Ministry of Agriculture, was arrested with three others namely; Thulani Dlamini (29), Norman Tsabedze (28) and Senzo Dlamini (25).

The four appeared yesterday before Pigg’s Peak Magistrate Simangele Mbatha.
Unlike usual cattle theft cases where criminals steal the beasts, the latest cattle theft is alleged to have been carried in such a way that cattle permits were illegally issued through the veterinary department.

identify

It is alleged that with the assistance of Matsinye, ear tags used to identify cattle were issued for stolen cattle, making it easier for the beasts to be transported to far off places.
This publication has also gathered that some of the suspects were found with a machine normally used to fit ear tags on cattle.
It is alleged that the suspects would first identify the cattle they were looking for before issuing the permits.

After the beast had been identified, a permit would then be issued and ownership of the cow or ox would be changed.
This meant that without knowing, a cattle owner would lose ownership of his beasts before they even left his kraal.

After issuing the fraudulent permits, the alleged cattle rustlers would then steal the beast and transport it to the new owner.
The suspects are said to have revealed that the beasts were sold for various purposes such as butchery, lobola, or for young business owners in need of breeding cattle.

forced

It is alleged the syndicate targeted mainly Mhlangatane area where, due to lack of water, cattle are forced to travel long distances to drink.
This results in some of the cattle failing to return to the owners’ homesteads. Due to this, stock thieves then target such beasts and steal them.
These allegations are yet to be contested before the court during the trial.

According to the charge sheet, 12 cattle of different values were stolen.
The total value of all the cattle is about E100 200 but this is expected to increase as investigations by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Services (REPS) are still ongoing.

The four were not granted bail but were remanded into custody.

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