A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stealing 80 sheep from a farm in Daggakraal, Mpumalanga.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Captain Magonseni Nkosi, said the sheep were worth at least R232,000.
Nkosi said the sheep were recovered after a farm employee noticed that the sheep were missing on July 11.
“He immediately informed his employer, who alerted other group members. The farmers followed the tracks and led them to the suspect's kraal not far from the farm where the sheep were stolen.
“After identifying the place where the sheep were kept, the farmers alerted police. On police's arrival, the stolen sheep were recovered and were positively identified through the brand marks,” said Nkosi.
Nkosi said the 24-year-old suspect was found on the premises and was arrested for possession of stolen livestock.
He said the suspect is expected to appear before Amersfoort Magistrate's Court on July,15.
“Police have since instituted an investigation to ascertain if there are other suspects that could be linked to the theft,” said Nkosi.
Early this month, KwaZulu-Natal police made more than 700 arrests regarding livestock theft in the province.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the top 10 stock theft hot spots were Utrecht, Taylors Halt, Hlobane, Intsikeni, Impendle, Estcourt, Dannhauser, Bulwer, Gluckstadt and Msinga.
Naicker added that during the 2023-2024 financial year, there were 745 arrests, while 1,283 livestock owners were charged for failing to mark their livestock in line with the prescripts of the Animal Identification Act.
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