Statement by Heinrich Müller MPL – Shadow MEC for Agriculture:
The recent arrest of two suspects in connection with the theft of 21 sheep and two goats near Qumbu is a welcome breakthrough, but it also highlights an important lesson in the fight against stock theft. The animals were successfully returned to their owner because they had been branded, allowing police to identify them quickly.
The DA commends the South African Police Service (SAPS) members involved in this successful operation. Every recovered animal represents a livelihood protected and a family spared further hardship.
Yet this success cannot distract from the scale of the crisis. Nationally, more than 43,000 livestock animals were reported stolen during the first three months of 2026, while the Eastern Cape remains one of the country’s hardest-hit provinces, with ten police stations ranking among South Africa’s top thirty for stock theft.
For commercial, emerging and subsistence farmers alike, stock theft destroys income, threatens food security, undermines confidence in rural communities and places additional pressure on an agricultural sector that is already battling rising input costs.
This case demonstrates that livestock branding is one of the simplest and most effective tools available to assist investigations and recover stolen animals. More farmers must be supported to brand their livestock correctly, while law enforcement must continue strengthening specialised stock theft investigations and intelligence-driven operations.
I will write to Agriculture MEC Nonceba Kontsiwe requesting the urgent rollout of a provincial livestock identification and branding support programme, coupled with a formal partnership between the Department of Agriculture, the SAPS, organised agriculture and emerging farmer organisations to expand branding, farmer awareness, and coordinated stock theft prevention across the Eastern Cape.
Protecting our livestock means protecting rural jobs, food security and the future of agriculture in the Eastern Cape.
The DA will continue to press for decisive action to protect farmers. The people of this province deserve leadership that prioritises safety, opportunity, and dignity for all.