A stokvel deal went south when over a hundred sheep were transported to Khayelitsha from Beaufort West without ventilation, killing 53 sheep.
According to Cape of Good Hope SPCA inspector, Moyo Ndukwana, the sheep were squeezed together in the truck and their legs tied with bailing twine when they caught a man transporting 122 of the animals in a truck.
“When we arrived at the (Harare) police station (on Saturday) we were accompanied by the police to where the truck was parked,” Ndukwana said.
“The truck was still sealed.
“When we opened it some sheep had suffocated and two had to be put down on the spot.”
It’s believed that the buyer paid more than R250 000 for the sheep, with transport.
Ndukwana said the average price of a sheep varies between R1 600 and R2 000.
The poor ventilation caused the death of 53 sheep. The Cape Argus reported the sheep were going to be distributed as part of the stokvel’s year-end profit sharing.
“During the festive season we are expecting the number of complaints to spike,” said Ndukwana.
The SPCA will be pressing charges according to Ndukwana, against the truck driver, the farmer and buyer.
“The driver can’t use a mode of transport which does not have a ventilation system,” he said.
“We also confirmed the sale with the farmer and we will be charging him as well as the buyer.”
