Eastern Cape Premier, Lubabalo Mabuyane, confirmed that the rampant stock theft in the province was costing emerging rural farmers millions, and the government has launched a technology-based system that will assist in curbing this crime.
Mabuyane was speaking during the launch of the Livestock Identification and Traceable System (LITS) in Tsolo, where he attended together with the MEC for the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR), Nonkqubela Pieters, and the MEC for the Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Xolile Nqatha.
According to Mabuyane, LITS is a technology-based ear-tag gadget which the government is delivering to 120 cattle farming enterprises, and will benefit 30 000 cattle across the province.
He said that more than 18 000 animals, worth in excess of R58 million, have been stolen in the province recently.
“You can imagine what that is doing to the economy. When you talk about the province being the home of livestock, you are talking about the subsistence rural farmers. We have a problem of livestock theft, and it has been with us for some time now. We are trying to tackle that,” said Mabuyane.
According to him, the electronic ear-tag device would also ensure that animals were not only branded but their origins would also be traced.
“We are trying to introduce a more organised commercial way of handling these animals. This is part of us trying to fight and curb livestock theft. We are sending a message to all the thieves out there that will be after you in a better and organised manner. You cannot sleep today and wake up with a kraal full of cows that you cannot account for. The system will be rolled out across the province.”
He added that the government wants to see all animal populations being branded properly and given the ear-tag, to make sure they are monitored better.
Pieters said LITS will assist farmers in the Tsolo area, which is one of the municipalities with a high rate of stock theft.
It is going to assist the police because they will know who the rightful owner of the cow is, and the owner will be able to identify it.
“Even if you sell the animal to somebody else, you will be able to trace the origin. If there are diseases, you are able to trace the origin of the cow. Farmers are going to be trained to keep records of their cattle to make sure that if it was sick, when was it sick, what type of medication has been used, and how many times you have dipped your herd of cattle,” said Pieters.
According to her, the system helps to trace the owner of the livestock if the person finds it in the abattoir; if it is a stolen cow, they will be able to trace it back to the owner.
One of the farmers whose animals were ear-tagged and branded, Sabatha Mnjunju, said he hoped the system would be able to track their livestock, and they would be easily identified when they are seen in other areas or when stolen.
“It will help us, but chances of it helping are small because ear-tags can be removed.
“Thieves know how to remove them. But, where I think it can help, is if you lose animals today when they had not succeeded in removing the tags and you report it on time, it can help trace the animals that way,” said Mnjunju.
