Meat trail leads to jail: Richmond stock thief gets three years behind bars

A MAN who butchered two stolen Merino sheep and tried to sell the meat has been sentenced to three years behind bars, thanks to sharp detective work by the De Aar SAPS stock theft unit.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said that the Richmond Magistrate’s Court handed down the sentence this week to 45-year-old Hendrik Williams, nearly a year after the animals valued at R6,000 were reported stolen from Potkraal Farm, just outside the small town.

The theft, which took place in June 2024, triggered an investigation led by Detective Sergeant Winston Jullies from the De Aar Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit. The breakthrough came when police received a tip-off about someone allegedly selling suspicious cuts of meat in the area.

Following the lead, officers searched a property matching the description and found a man with meat in his possession linked to the stolen livestock.

Williams was arrested and remained in custody throughout the trial, which ultimately led to his conviction and sentencing for stock theft this week.

The Pixley ka Seme district commissioner, Major-General Nomana Mtukushe, commended Detective Sergeant Jullies and welcomed the outcome as a victory in the fight against rural crime, which continues to pose a serious threat to farmers and their livelihoods across the Northern Cape.