Five suspected stock thieves found burnt beyond recognition near Peddie

Five suspected stock thieves were burnt to death at Crossroads village near Peddie on Tuesday in the second such incident in just over a year.

The incident follows a spate of livestock killings and thefts in the coastal villages along the R72, including Gcinisa, Wesley, Bell, Lovers Twist and Hamburg.

Criminals have reportedly used the R72 to flee after mutilating and killing livestock.

In many cases, cattle were crippled by having their Achilles tendons cut before being slaughtered.

According to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana, officers were called to the scene at about 12.30pm.

“On their arrival, they found five bodies burnt beyond recognition in a vehicle. On checking the vehicle, it cannot be identified,” Gantana said.

She said the vehicle crime investigation unit would attempt to determine ownership of the car, while the case had been handed over to the Serious Violent Crime Investigation Unit.

The motive forms part of the ongoing investigation. Police have urged anyone who can assist in identifying the deceased to contact them.

A villager said the deceased were believed to be stock thieves caught in the act.

“There’s a problem of stock theft in the area, whether it is cattle or sheep,” he said.

“The people said they were stock thieves and came from East London.

“There shouldn’t be interest when the community has taken matters into their own hands, but there should be interest when they [cattle] have been stolen by these criminals ... the issue is sensitive at the moment.”

Details of the incident remain unclear. Images shared after the incident showed one body lying next to a burnt vehicle, while four others were visible inside the car.

The vehicle, parked beside a grazing field between Crossroads and Tyityaba, was also burnt beyond recognition. The number plate and make of the car could not be identified.

In April 2024,  a similar case was reported in Lovers Twist where five suspected stock thieves were beaten, hacked and burned on the back of an Opel Corsa bakkie.

Some of the men were from East London and were allegedly caught trying to steal cattle.

Community voice notes circulated at the time suggested one of the deceased may have been a man who owned a butchery in East London.

The villages affected by livestock theft share communal grazing areas, and local frustration has intensified in recent years.

The latest incident comes amid plans by the Ngqushwa Municipality to build a state-of-the-art beef value chain complex in Wesley, on the R72.

The facility, with a projected 10,000-cattle feedlot capacity on a 400-hectare farm, will include an abattoir and processing facilities aimed at exporting red meat to the UAE and the rest of Africa.

Ngqushwa mayor Sanga Maneli said the development would be rolled out in three phases and was expected to create jobs and stimulate the local cattle industry.

He encouraged farmers to invest in cattle breeding to benefit from the project. He could not be reached for further comment.

In 2022, members of the Port Alfred police K9 unit arrested suspected stock thieves travelling along the R72.

They allegedly found 13 goats inside the vehicle. A shotgun and ammunition were also recovered.

Two of the suspects were from Kenton-on-Sea and one from Port Alfred. They were believed to be en route to Gqeberha.

Daily Dispatch