Gibeon farmers against bail for stock theft suspects

HILMAH HASHANGETHE GIBEON constituency anti-stock theft operational committee on Tuesday presented a petition to the senior public prosecutor at Mariental demanding that 15 stock theft suspects who are currently in police custody should not be granted bail.

The group, made up of about 25 aggrieved farmers who have lost livestock through stock theft, held a demonstration in front of the Mariental Magistrate’s Court demanding to speak to magistrate Verinao Kamahene, who prisides over the cases.

However, Kamahene advised the group that they should present their petition to senior public prosecutor Eric Noddy Naikaku.

The 15 suspects were arrested for various stock theft cases up to 15 November.

The farmers’ demonstration were triggered by the fact that one of the suspects, David Edward Oarum, had this week applied for bail for three pending cases, including one with the traditional court. The other suspects are yet to apply for bail.

Handing over the petition on behalf of the farmers, the group’s chairperson, Christiaan Swartbooi, informed Naikaku that the suspects are perpetual stock thieves who have been terrorising the community of Gibeon and the surrounding farms for some time.

“We have lost about 250 head of cattle to stock thieves, in addition to a large number of goats and sheep. The suspects we want to be denied bail are those with pending stock theft cases and still need to be charged who those police still need to investigate,” said Swartbooi.

He added that the group wants the suspects to be denied bail because they fear that they will interfere with investigations and continue stealing livestock when out on bail. “There are four suspects who are still on the loose and the vehicle which was used to transport meat from stolen cattle has not been impounded by the police. We, farmers, fear that they will easily interfere with the investigations of the police like they did before,” Swartbooi added.

According to Swartbooi, the stock theft cases in the region continue to increase and the farmers fear that their operations will grind to a halt as many of them depended on livestock farming for a living.

Receiving their petition, senior public prosecutor Naikaku informed the group that he will forward the petition to the magistrate who has the ultimate decision on whether to grant the suspects bail or not.

*Hilmah Hashange is an information officer at the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in the Hardap region.

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