Three male suspects aged between 20 and 35 are due to appear in Klerksdorp Magistrates’ Court today for breaking the Biodiversity Act after they were court in possession of a stolen crocodile.
Oh, snap! – Three in Klerkdorp court for stealing crocodile
In a statement, police spokesperson Colonel Adéle Myburgh revealed the suspects were arrested on Thursday, 20 April 2023, after the Stilfontein Stock Theft and Endangered Species (STES) Unit received a tip-off that a Nile alligator was stolen from a crocodile farm in Hartebeesfontein.
The STES Unit, in collaboration with Nature Conservation officials, immediately followed up on the information and located a 2.5-metre-long Nile crocodile worth R25 000 hidden under tree branches in an abandoned farmhouse.
The police arrested the suspects and confiscated a bakkie used during the commission of the crime. The crocodile was then returned to its rightful owner.
In a separate incident, a 30-year-old man named Thatho Nhlapo appeared before the Stilfontein Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 19 April 2023, for being in possession of suspected stolen cattle.
Nhlapo was remanded in custody until his next court appearance before the same court on Wednesday, 26 April 2023. Nhlapo’s arrest follows an incident on Monday, 17 April 2023, where a shepherd saw three men chasing two cows in an open field along the R509 road near Khuma.
The shepherd contacted his employer, who mobilised farmers in the area. Nhlapo was subsequently arrested by the farmers and handed over to the police. Two other suspects are still at large. Initial investigations showed that the stolen cattle belonged to a farmer in Free State Province.
Five cattle were stolen from the farmer’s farm, but two were found abandoned in the field, two were recovered from the suspects, and one is still missing. The North West Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sello Kwena, commended the police officers, Nature Conservation officials, farmers, and members of the community for their combined efforts that led to these successful arrests.