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Livestock seen in a kraal.
Livestock farmers at Ga-Mashashane, south-west of Polokwane in Limpopo, believe that livestock theft is spiralling out of control.
Farmers say they have lost hundreds of cattle and sheep over the last few months.
Masenya Rafapa, who has been rearing and selling cattle for a living for years, says he has suffered irreparable financial losses when eleven of his cows were stolen in one day.
With the price of one cow ranging from at least R10 000 in the village, Rafapa says he effectively lost over R100 000 due to livestock theft.
“I have lost eleven cows and by estimation, had I sold them, I would have made over R110 000. This money would have been used to support my family financially, as I am currently unemployed. I have children who are still in school who still require my financial assistance,” adds Rafapa.
Meanwhile, police spokesperson Malesela Ledwaba says the lack of branding of animals makes it hard for them to trace stolen livestock.
“We have got a problem of our livestock owners not actually brand marking or tattoo marking their livestock and that makes it very difficult for the investigators. Even if you were able to actually recover them, most of the time you find that the livestock thieves, after they steal, they do the brand marking immediately and tattoo marking it because it becomes easy, because you find that the owners did not do that,” says Ledwaba.
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