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Stock theft deals major economic blow to SA's agri sector
While stock theft has seemingly declined in the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, the battle against the scourge, which has cost the agriculture sector billions, continues, Farmer's Weekly reports.
The decline of almost 9% in national stock theft cases in the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year compared with the corresponding period in 2023/24 is no reason for optimism, according to Willie Clack, a farmer in North West and senior lecturer at the School for Criminal Justice at UNISA.
He added that the economic losses caused by the crime remains of great concern.
'I do not believe in quarterly statistics as they fluctuate too much and can create false impressions,' Clack said.
According to official statistics, the stock theft of cattle, sheep and goats has cost the country over R7 billion over the past five years. The cost per financial year has been broken down as follows:
2020/21: R1 185 118 700
2021/22: R1 210 939 100
2022/23: R1 275 954 200
2023/24: R1 380 267 000
2024/25: R1 269 999 000
Clack told Farmer's Weekly that even though these were official figures, the actual cost was unknown due to the non-reporting of crimes.
'If you do not report [the] crime, you are part of the problem and not the solution. Since 2018/19, the number of cases reported per year has been in decline,' he said.
In a paper on livestock theft in South Africa, published in the International Journal of Rural Criminology in 2024, Clack said that this crime posed a significant challenge to the agriculture sector in the country, impacting farmers' livelihoods, food security and economic stability.
Substantial impact
With approximately 69% of South Africa's land surface being primarily suitable for grazing, livestock farming was the largest contributor to the country's agricultural GDP.
Dr Siphe Zantsi, an agricultural economist at the Agricultural Research Council, said that this was why the economic impact of stock theft on South Africa was substantial.
'According to the 2024 Economic Review of South African Agriculture, animal products accounted for 43,2% of the total value of agricultural production, amounting to [around R200 billion]. The figures [above thus] only reflect the direct monetary losses,' said Zantsi.
'There are numerous intangible and often overlooked costs, including the loss of breeding value and long-term genetic investment. Stud breeders invest years in improving bloodlines, and the loss of even a single animal can disrupt generations of work.
'In many communal areas, livestock represents a form of wealth and retirement security. Many individuals work in urban areas with the hope of returning to a sustainable herd later in life. For instance, two farmers I interviewed in Mthatha (Eastern Cape) each lost 90% of their herds (about 100 sheep) in a single night. One of them developed hypertension and diabetes following the incident, and both expressed a profound discouragement to continue farming.'
Addressing stock theft effectively requires a coordinated, multi-stakeholder approach that involves government, farmers, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and agribusinesses, said Zantsi.
'Key actions should include, amongst others, market regulation with informal meat markets and abattoirs being regularly audited to prevent the sale of stolen livestock; permit enforcement whereby SAPS and traffic officers monitor livestock movement and validate permits in collaboration with local agricultural departments; [and] syndicate research into organised stock theft to develop more targeted prevention strategies.'
Syndicate crime
Meanwhile, Louis Wessels, chairperson of the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum, said that stock theft was a crime run by syndicates.
'[While] there are instances of pot slagtery [slaughtering for consumption], large numbers of animals are stolen and transported to the main metropolitan centres.
'We have rolled out a stock theft reporting system to collect information and identify trends and syndicated operations. The required reports and information are made available to the national and provincial Stock Theft Prevention Forums. The system makes provision for capturing reports without a CAS number in order to identify [cases of] under-reporting and the potential reasons thereof.'
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