- Two people have been arrested after allegedly being found with more than 400 stolen cattle.
- The cattle were stolen from small farmers in the west of Johannesburg.
- The stolen cows were found on a chicken farm in Zuurbekom.
Gauteng police have cracked down on a syndicate believed to be responsible for stealing cattle owned by small-scale farmers in the west of Johannesburg.
Police raided a plot in Zuurbekom, south west of Johannesburg, and found a herd of more than 400 cows locked up on a chicken farm.
More than 600 cows were stolen from kraals in the area on Thursday night and it was believed that some were driven to other provinces, including North West, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
Some farmers who lost livestock claimed their cattle were slaughtered. On Friday, they gathered at the plot to identify their stolen cattle.
On the plot, police and farmers found meat-cutting machines and fridges used to store meat.
The owner of the farm, who may not be identified because his son was one of the two people arrested, claimed he had leased it from the Gauteng government.
The farmer claimed that he specialised in chicken farming.
"I was shocked on Friday morning when I saw more than 700 cattle on my farm. I don't know when they arrived. I was asleep, and I woke up from the noise of the cows. Some were roaming in my yard.
"I asked my son what those cows were doing. He could not give me an explanation. He then insulted me. My son used to buy a few cows and later sell them. This time he brought many cows," he said.
"My son and another man known to me were arrested on Sunday. They could not explain how the cattle arrived on my plot," the farmer said.
He added that he and his son were not on speaking terms because the son owed him money.
Speaking on behalf of small-scale farmers in the Westonaria area, Elias Mdlezi said hundreds of cows belonging to farmers were stolen on Thursday night.
Mdlezi said the cattle were owned by mineworkers and widows of former mineworkers.
"Our herders were woken up by a group of 18 heavily armed men. They opened a shack where our herders were sleeping and opened fire using a rifle. They tied our herders up with ropes and took their cellphones and identity documents before driving away our animals.
"Upon hearing the news, we rushed to the kraal. We managed to find more than 100 other cows near our kraals. The following day we searched for our animals in parts of the Free State, Gauteng and North West without success," Mdlezi added.
Mdlezi said the police called them on Sunday about their discovery.
"We were told that 37 had been slaughtered. The meat was taken elsewhere. Some of our livestock have been transported to KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and North West.
"There is evidence at this place of where our animals were slaughtered. We have been hit [the hardest] this time. At first, they wiped out all our sheep and goats. We then decided to take the route of cattle farming."
"We are dealing with a syndicate of heavily armed men. We have received information that the thieves are not from South Africa. We ask our government to protect our livestock and recognise us as small farmers," Mdlezi said.
He claimed they have been pleading with the provincial government to register them to supply meat across Gauteng.
Police spokesperson Dimakatso Sello confirmed that two people aged, 35 and 80, were arrested and would appear in court on Tuesday on charges of business robbery and possession of suspected stolen livestock.