KZN livestock theft rises amid lockdown
The National Stock Theft Prevention Forum says KwaZulu-Natal has the highest number of livestock theft in the country, with numbers increasing beyond average since the beginning of the national lockdown.
This as police recovered three stolen cattle that was found hidden in bushes at the Wats area in Vryheid, northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Police say an investigation revealed that the stock was stolen from a farm in Utrecht last week and was set to be slaughtered and sold at a pension payout in the surrounding areas.
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National Chairperson of the National Stock Theft Prevention Forum, Willie Clack says they expect stock theft to continue rising due to financial distress.
"All of a sudden, it started to increase a little bit gradually during Level five. We do know that KZN is our highest hotspot area and what we do know is that the numbers in that specific region are increasing.
"In the current lockdown and economic state, we are of the opinion that slaughtering will increase because of the economic impact of COVID-19."
