Stock rustlers having a field day in Karas Region

AN increasing number of sheep and goats are being stolen in the Karas Region.

Since the beginning of this month alone, 30 goats and sheep have been reported stolen, Karas Police Chief of Operations Lydia Shapwanale said. Only seven of these were recovered.’The number of stock-theft cases reported this month hit the record,’ she said. Shapwanale blamed farmers’ complacency for the soaring stock-theft cases. ‘The farmers do not look after their livestock properly,’ Shapwanale charged.She said the Police have arrested suspects in all reported cases. On Tuesday afternoon, four men were caught red-handed while slaughtering goats at Plot Gobos Area no 150 about 20 kilometres south of Keetmanshoop. They were arrested. The value of the goats were estimated at N$4 200. The suspects were identified as Richelin Snewe (25, Jantjie Vries (25), Stefanus Snewe (33) and Andreas Hanse (43).A senior official of the Blitz Security company, Gordon Titus, yesterday told The Namibian that the local Police charge office had to call for their assistance to arrest the four suspects. According to Titus, a Police officer who was on duty on Tuesday said there were no cars at their disposal to investigate the case.Shapwanale rejected this as ‘impossible’. He charged that there was no shortage of Police vehicles. * The Police reported yesterday that two people were arrested on charges of stock theft in the Keetmanshoop district on Monday, after they allegedly stole seven sheep from the farm Kragma.The two were identified as 21-year-old Donovan Scott and 48-year-old Emile Uiseb. Both appeared in court this week.

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