The chopped up meat of a missing Brahman cow was found in a Ford Fiesta near Mabeskraal in the North West province of South Africa.
By Suzanne Venter
On Thursday, 5 February 2026, police noticed a gathering at a filling station in Tweelaagte during a routine patrol. Investigating, they found community members had detained the occupants of a small Ford Fiesta. Inside the vehicle were large chunks of meat. The two occupants could not give a satisfactory explanation as to the origin of the meat, according to Col. Adéle Myburgh, police spokesperson in North West, who spoke to African Farming.
The suspects were handed over to the police unharmed and were immediately arrested.
Because the animal was branded, the Madikwe Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit was able to trace the owner of the slaughtered cow. The owner reported that his Brahman cattle had been grazing in the Letlhakeng area near Mabeskraal from Wednesday, 21 January 2026, to Thursday, 5 February 2026, and that two cattle were missing when the herd returned to their kraal.
On Monday, 9 February, Sello Madumo (35) and Mothibi Letsogo (37) appeared in the Mogwase Magistrate’s Court on charges of possession of suspected stolen property and stock theft. They were granted bail of R1 000 each and are due to appear in court again on 17 March.
Maj‑Gen. Ryno Naidoo, acting provincial police commissioner for the North West, thanked the community and the police for their cooperation, which led to the arrest. He said that the police would continue to work relentlessly to ensure that criminals end up behind bars.
Maj‑Gen. Naidoo also encouraged farmers to brand their livestock in accordance with the Animal Identification Act (Act 6 of 2002), noting that identification makes it much easier to determine the rightful owner of stolen livestock, as was the case here.
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