This after an alleged livestock syndicate kingpin was caught while slaughtering cattle in the bush at Bale village near Kruger National Park’s Pafuri gate.
It is alleged that vigilant villagers spotted the alleged ringleader and two accomplices in a bush, where they were slaughtering cows. Other villagers were alerted and they soon cornered the suspects. However, two suspects managed to escape by running into the bush in darkness.
The villagers grabbed the suspected ringleader and drove off with him in his vehicle. They stopped at at a defunct shop and began assaulting the suspect. The villagers who had confiscated an axe and butcher knives, then torched the vehicle.
The suspect was rescued by an off duty police and taken to a police station near the border between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Masisi police spokesman Warrant officer David Marodi confirmed that a vehicle was burnt after the owner was accused of livestock theft and smuggling.
Some community members accused the suspect of smuggling their livestock out of the country to, Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Local farmers association said livestock farming, which was a livelihood for thousands villagers in the area was “under attack”.
They also accused the suspect of stealing and slaughtering their livestock to supply informal meat markets in Musina and Thohoyandou.
Since August, the torching of suspected cattle thieves’ vehicles in the area has become a form of vigilante justice.
Bale Sanco chairman Mpho Rasilavhi said villagers are pushed to resort to “burning” because suspects “gain everyday” while poor are losing.
“They steal, when they arrested they don’t stay long in the prison, and return to do it again,” claimed Raselavhi.
Source – African News Agency (ANA)
