Stock thief gags sheep, covers them with jackets, abandons vehicle with dagga

A police chase through Edendale ended with the discovery of several sheep whose mouths had been taped shut and bodies covered with jackets when a suspected livestock thief was intercepted. According to the KZN Department of Transport, teams under Operation Shanela, a joint law enforcement crackdown involving police and the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) targeting crime hotspots, were after livestock thieves who sell to shisanyama outlets. When law enforcement officers attempted to stop a vehicle near the Harry Gwala Regional Hospital in Edendale, the driver allegedly sped through traffic lights nearly knocking over hawkers.

The suspect allegedly abandoned his vehicle and fled on foot leaving behind his driver’s licence, dagga and the sheep inside the vehicle. According to the latest South African Police Service crime statistics, KwaZulu-Natal remains one of the provinces hardest hit by stock theft, with over 36 000 cases reported nationwide and more than 152 000 livestock stolen in the past year. Stolen animals are often quickly sold to informal meat traders and shisanyama outlets.