Yesterday, police officers from the Pietermaritzburg K9 Unit were conducting operations in Pietermaritzburg when they received information about a Toyota Quantum traveling in Karkloof with stolen livestock.
With the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, the said vehicle was pursued. During the chase, the suspects proceeded on a gravel road towards New Hanover. In an attempt to evade police, the suspects threw livestock out of the moving taxi. Their vehicle crashed near the farm hostels and the suspects fled the scene on foot. Police impounded a taxi with false registration plates for further investigation. Investigations on the scene revealed that the livestock was stolen in the Rietvlei area. A charge of animal cruelty will also be added. The police are still searching for the suspects.
In another unrelated incident, yesterday at midday, the Himeville Stock Theft Unit assisted by Pietermaritzburg Stock Theft Unit recovered 35-suspected stolen goats in the Pata area at Pietermaritzburg. The goats were found in a house but the owner of the house was not present. The animals were impounded and police are still searching for the owners.
The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Khombinkosi Jula commended the police officers for the recovery of the stolen stock. “We are appealing to our communities to report suspicious vehicles traveling in their areas,” he said.