4 days ago
Drone operators catch maize thieves near Delmas
Security drone operators doing routine aerial patrols had no idea they were about to stumble upon what can only be described as a massive maize theft syndicate near Delmas.
Farmcor AS Security drone operators spotted two people carrying 50kg woven polypropylene bags on their heads as they exited a client's maize fields near Hawerklip, close to Delmas Colliery on the R50, Leslie Road, at around 09:00 on July 12.
The pair was seen leaving private farmland and heading toward a nearby informal settlement. The drone operators continued monitoring them as they entered a shack in the settlement, where they offloaded the bags.
Farmcor AS Security was immediately informed, and reaction units swiftly responded to the scene. Upon arrival, members of AfriForum's Delmas Valke Neighbourhood Watch, CamFX Security and other role players joined the operation.
Initial investigations revealed the shacks were used to store yellow maize allegedly stolen from adjacent fields. When reaction members requested access to other dwellings, they were told those were unoccupied.
A source close to the investigation said security personnel were informed of more storage facilities nearby. The teams were then led to several zinc shelters, where they confirmed that stolen maize was stockpiled in large quantities.
It was stored in about 200 woven bags, pulled from almost every shack. The two initial suspects evaded capture, but the teams recovered about 50 tons of yellow maize.
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The price of yellow maize for the July 2025 contract on the South African Futures Exchange is approximately R4 019.80 per ton. Consequently, 50 tons would be valued at roughly R201 000.
Several suspicious vehicles, including a 32-ton truck and trailer, were also identified nearby and are believed to be linked to the syndicate involved in the theft operation.
Hennie Bekker, AfriForum's district co-ordinator for the Highveld, told the Streeknews that grain theft is an ongoing concern in the agricultural industry.
'Farmers suffer immense losses due to grain theft. Proving the origin of a maize cob or pit is challenging. For instance, if a car is stolen, its ownership can be proved via a VIN or registration number, but proving ownership of grain is impossible,' Bekker explained.
'The real value of what is stolen is also difficult to determine. These thieves steal grain in bags or come onto lands with bakkies, sometimes stealing hectares at a time, so it is nearly impossible to quantify the losses.
'The additional cost of security is another contributing factor to the losses farmers suffer from grain theft, and there is, unfortunately, no real solution to this problem,' Bekker concluded.
The Streeknews was unable to confirm at the time of going to print whether there were any arrests in the Hawerklip case.
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