Goats’ thief sentenced

ROOSSENEKAL – The Roossenekal Periodical Court has sentenced a 28 year-old man found guilty of possession of 19 stolen goats along the R579 Road outside Groblersdal.

The convicted Jacob Tjie was sentenced to five months imprisonment with an option of a R4000 fine by the court on Monday after he was arrested for possession of the livestock on 14 August 2014.

The court heard that convict was travelling along the road between Stoffberg and Roossenekal in an NP300 bakkie loaded with the animals, which were headed to be sold at an auction in the area. He was arrested with two other suspects who could not be linked to the crime and eventually released.

South African Police Service (SAPS) members stopped him to verify the authenticity of the livestock and he failed to provide a detailed account.

Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, Limpopo Provincial Police spokesperson, said Tjie was arrested on the scene and the his case was transferred to Sekhukhune Stock Theft and Endangered Species (Stes) Unit following which meticulous investigations by the team later revealed that there were three other different incidents of stock theft that occurred in the Rakgoadi policing precinct during that month.

The goats where identified through the brandmark and handed back to the owners in Rakgoadi soon after verification was completed.

The Provincial Commissioner of SAPS in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, commended the investigating team for the sterling work of ensuring that the perpetrator faces the full might of the law.

General Hadebe urged members of the community to brand mark their livestock for the identification purposes.