A 23-year-old male suspect has been arrested in connection with the theft of 76 farm animals in the Eastern Cape.
According to the South African Police Service in OR Tambo, the suspect was apprehended on Thursday, 9 April 2026, around 3pm, in the Mncwasa locality under the Kwaaiman policing precinct. The livestock was allegedly stolen from different parts of the district.
Stolen stock returned
A total of 59 sheep, 12 goats, and 5 cattle were recovered over the course of various incidents in the Eastern Cape this week due to stock theft.
During the first incident, the Kwaaiman police acted on information received from an anonymous source and arrested the 23-year-old male suspect while he was herding 11 suspected stolen sheep in Mqanduli.
According to Saps, two accomplices managed to avoid arrest. The 11 sheep that had been stolen from a kraal the night before were positively identified by their rightful owner.
Another incident
In a separate, unrelated incident, the Station Commander, Lieutenant Mbunyuza and the Detective Commander, Captain Mlilo, under the Bityi policing precinct, had received information about suspected stolen stock that was kept in two abandoned homesteads.
Police authorities were led to the two localities where they discovered 48 sheep and 12 goats. Some were kept inside the houses.
This operation unfolded during the course of 24 hours, from Wednesday, 8 April 2026 at 9pm until Thursday, 9 April 2026, around 4am.
Some of the recovered livestock have already been positively identified by recent victims of stock theft. While the unclaimed stock was taken to the Tsolo Municipality Stockpound.
Cattle Battles
In Nxotwe, five unknown cattle were recovered by the Qumbu community after the OR Tambo District Stock Theft Prevention Task Team discovered them on Wednesday, 8 April 2026, around 6:30pm.
The stolen cattle were transported to Qumbu Municipality Stockpound. Saps has urged victims of stock theft to visit the municipality’s stockpounds timeously to identify their stolen livestock.
Court Appearance
The arrested 23-year-old suspect is expected to appear before the Mqanduli Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 10 April 2026. And faces charges of the unlawful possession of suspected stolen stock.
Major General Norman Modishana, the OR Tambo District Commissioner, emphasised that stock theft is a serious crime that brings great misery to victims’ families and applauded all the members involved in recovering the stolen stock.
