Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
- South Africa is unique in publishing official livestock theft statistics, including the number of animals stolen and recovered, as part of its rural security strategy and stock theft forums.
- Many cases of stock theft go unreported due to challenges like unmarked livestock, lack of animal records, fear of retribution, social vulnerability, and frustration with legal and police inefficiencies.
- Non-reporting leads to consequences such as loss of law enforcement action, encouragement of further theft, inaccurate crime statistics, and significant economic losses for producers and rural communities.
- The failure to report stock theft undermines rural security structures and stock theft forums, which rely on accurate data to monitor crime patterns, inform strategies, and collaborate with law enforcement.
- Efforts like the Red Meat Strategy for 2030 aim to empower producers to report crimes and enhance community involvement, law enforcement services, and support structures to combat stock theft effectively.
Although livestock theft is a global issue, South Africa is the only country that publishes official figures in this regard. The South African Police Service (SAPS) publishes not only the number of animals stolen but also those recovered.
Namibia does not publish crime statistics, and cases of stock theft in Botswana and Eswatini mostly go through traditional courts (crime data is not formally registered). Stock theft in other countries fall under the purview of general theft.
Included in South Africa’s unique approach are a rural security strategy and stock theft forums. This gives South African livestock owners access to valuable data, which has a major impact on the formulation of policy, legislation, and precautions to curb stock theft. This raises the question: Are we using this to our advantage, or are we negating this advantage by not reporting stock theft?
Reasons for non-reporting
There are several reasons why stock theft is not reported.
Identification and proof of ownership issues: Not all producers mark their livestock. Research reveals that only 13% of stolen livestock are marked, which makes identifying stolen livestock and proving ownership even more problematic. Without proper identification it is near impossible to bring a case before the court. DNA testing has its own challenges – take communal areas for instance where verifying an animal’s origin is often very difficult.
No records of animal numbers: Producers sometimes have no idea how many animals they own, as livestock records are non-existent. This means producers are often not even aware that livestock are missing, nor when it happened.
Social vulnerability: It is often the case in small communities that livestock owners know the perpetrators. Reporting someone who is known to the community can damage social relationships or even provoke retaliatory actions.
Fear of retribution: In some communities, especially those that are home to criminals known for violence, the fear of retribution is real. Producers might feel that reporting stock theft might add fuel to the fire, such as the poisoning of their remaining livestock.
Legal challenges and court processes: South Africa’s Constitution, specifically Section 35, adds to producers’ frustration. Section 35(3)(h) sets out the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’, and although a constitutional right, producers often feel that it delays the prosecution of offenders. The frequency with which cases are postponed makes it impractical to continue reporting new cases to the authorities. As a result many cases are eventually withdrawn, meaning that perpetrators get away scot-free.
Trust in the police: The general reluctance to report cases is mainly due to producers feeling that the police often sit back and do nothing. Statistics show that in 85% of cases, this is the reason for producers not reporting the crime. Moreover, the police are often criticised for being incompetent.
Consequences of non-reporting
Non-reporting of stock theft leads to all sorts of dire consequences:
Loss of law enforcement: Voicing your loss on social media may very well cause a furore among community members, but if the police are unaware of the crime, they cannot investigate it nor take any action.
Encouragement of further theft: If criminals realise that the crime has not been reported and the chances of prosecution and punishment are slim, they are likely to continue committing their crimes.
Economic impact on producers: Each stolen animal represents a direct financial loss. Stock theft that is left unreported often leads to more losses, with a huge impact on rural economies.
Crime statistics and policy: The non-reporting of stock theft leads to inaccurate crime statistics. Incomplete and inaccurate data has a negative impact on decision-making at national level, meaning that rural areas do not receive the support they need or that strategies to effectively combat stock theft are lacking.
Consequences for communities
Failure to report stock theft has a profound impact on the social fabric of communities. People’s frustration with the failure of justice causes tension and sometimes leads to acts of revenge. Sometimes communities take the law into their own hands, often culminating in violence and greater social instability.
In addition, the non-reporting of stock theft undermines the work of rural security structures and stock theft prevention forums. These structures rely on accurate reporting to monitor crime patterns, share information, and work closely with law enforcement.
Efforts to support producers, improve law enforcement services, and increase community involvement will contribute to effectively combat stock theft and protect producers. Producers need to be aware of the wide-ranging impact that non-reporting has. The Red Meat Strategy for 2030 outlines the strategies put in place to empower them to report crimes. – Willie Clack, senior lecturer, School of Criminal Justice, Unisa
Should you have any enquiries or require additional information, do not hesitate to contact me at wclack@unisa.ac.za.
