A 45-year-old man has been sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment for stealing 21 Merino sheep worth about R42 000 from a farm near Soutpan in the Free State.
By Maile Matsimela, digital editor at African Farming
Ompi Gert Thaele was convicted and sentenced in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court following a stock theft case dating back to April 2024.
According to police, Thaele stole 21 Merino sheep from a farm near Soutpan on 24 April 2024. Local police were immediately alerted and arrested him near Ikgomotseng, Soutpan, on the same day.
The case was subsequently assigned to Detective Constable Luyanda Nqae of the Park Road Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit. Police recovered 17 of the stolen sheep, valued at approximately R34 000, at another farm in the Soutpan area.
Also read: ‘Stock theft a national crisis; land reform must change’ – Steenhuisen at AFASA conference
Accused disappeared while on bail
Thaele was granted bail while the case was before court. However, after several court appearances, he failed to return to court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Police eventually tracked him down and re-arrested him in August 2026. He was subsequently convicted of stock theft and sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment.
The court also sentenced him to a further six months’ imprisonment, or a R3 000 fine, for failing to appear in court.
The sentences will run concurrently, meaning the additional six-month sentence will be served at the same time as the 15-year prison term.
The case comes amid continued concern over stock theft in South Africa’s farming and rural communities, where livestock losses can have serious financial consequences for both commercial and small-scale farmers.
Also read: Police officer sentenced to 12 years for stock theft
