Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Sesotho by Freddy Sonakile, and in Afrikaans by Carin Visser
The residents of Makgobistadt Village, in Ratlou Local Municipality, are tormented by stock theft thugs who are running rampant in the area. Community members told the DA about this during an oversight visit to the area last week.
The residents, including a community safety organisation called Kgomo Modimo wa Gae in the area, shared their horrific stories of how thugs feed into their livestock and, in most cases, get away with it.
During the oversight visit, we were taken to the home of Mr Modise, a local resident, whose farm has been a playground for these thugs. (See picture here) During the visit, Mr Modise was still awaiting a case number from the local SAPS over a case involving sixteen of his goats that were stolen over the weekend.
Mr Modise said that the police’s tardiness in dealing with the cases was not unusual. He informed the DA that four of his cows had also been stolen in December last year. The SAPS informed him in January that the animals had been recovered, but they are currently awaiting DNA testing before they can return the animals to him.
Local residents requested the DA to arrange a meeting with the Provincial SAPS and MEC of Community Safety, Sello Lehari, to discuss their challenges, particularly their negligence and lack of concern in dealing with these cases.
Despite the community’s attempts to voice its concerns, the issue remains unchanged and unresolved. They even presented their concerns with the North West Provincial Legislature Petitions Committee as well as the Speaker of the North West Provincial Legislature, Susan Dantjie, to no avail.
We have written to the Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, and MEC Lehari, urging that this meeting be called as soon as possible to resolve this serious issue. (See letter)
Stock theft in communities, particularly those near the Botswana border, is a major issue, and it appears that SAPS is losing the fight against this crime. Only the DA has a strategy for dealing with this criminality that is devastating our farmers in the North West Province.