Cattle and sheep worth R8 million stolen in one month in the Free State

Over the past month, more than 1,600 cattle and 730 sheep valued at R8 million were stolen in the Free State.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) advised farmers to brand their livestock, reinforce fence and gate security, and implement personal security measures to reduce the risk of theft.

The police deployed stock theft units and track-and-trace operations to prevent theft and locate and recover live or slaughtered stock.

Livestock are often slaughtered on site, with many suffering mutilations such as tendon cutting, and being skinned and deboned alive.

Livestock theft damages production, threatens food security, and imposes financial losses on communities and commercial farmers.

On 19 October 2026, the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) said that the police’s efforts are fruitless, as livestock theft has increased significantly.

In the 2024/2025 financial year, Statistics South Africa reported that 152,000 livestock were stolen across the country, resulting in losses of R1.27 billion.

The VF Plus criticised the MEC for Community Safety, Roads and Transport, Jabu Mbalula, for the department’s failure to prevent livestock theft.

The party demanded that Mbalula provide the number of reported theft cases that the department has received and prosecuted over the last 12 months.

The VF Plus said that “farmers should no longer suffer livestock and revenue losses because the authorities are failing to fulfil their responsibilities”.

In a Newzroom Afrika report on 9 June 2026, the local residents voiced their distress and suspicion that the police were working with these groups.

The community residents said they have reported several cases to the police, but no progress has been made.

They also highlighted a lack of border patrol and claimed that people easily travel between South Africa, Lesotho, and Botswana to sell livestock or slaughtered meat.

The VF Plus said the people had lost faith in the local authorities and had resorted to conducting their own self-funded investigations and hiring private security.

On 5 September 2026, AfriForum demanded an investigation into police involvement in stock theft following the arrest of Constable Siyabonga Cindi, a member of the Standerton stock theft unit.

AfriForum reported that in 2019, it submitted a report to the Hawks containing evidence of police involvement in stock theft and details of the syndicates.

They said that “despite years of information, evidence and convictions pointing to police involvement in stock theft, it appears not much is being done to eradicate the problem”.

“The police’s involvement in stock theft undermines the agricultural community’s efforts to combat this multi-million-rand crime,” AfriForum said.