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The two suspects are being led to a waiting police vehicle after their court appearance.
Craving for chicken lands two in jail
News Date: 03 October 2008
A craving for chicken had a sequel in the Vuwani Magistrate’s Court, when two men appeared briefly in connection with the theft of chickens from a chicken dealer last week.
The pair, both from Ha-Mutsha-Thondoni, is alleged to have stolen more than 30 chickens during the evening of September 23 from a local chicken dealer. The two, Albert Mahlawule (18), a Mozambican, and Khumbudzo Singo (19), were not asked to plead and were remanded in custody, pending their next appearance on October 14.
According to Levubu police spokesperson Insp Ntshengedzeni Makondelele, the complainant was watching a game of soccer on television with his friends when the incident occurred. It is alleged that chickens had been disappearing without trace from the chicken coop and the owner decided to keep a watch on them. When the teams went for the half-time interval, the owner decided to go and check, only to find the chicken coop with a big hole cut out of it. After carefully counting them, he noticed that more than 30 chickens were short.
The complainant reported the matter to the police. A poultry theft case was registered and police started their investigations. “After intensive investigations by the House Breaking Task Team, they made a breakthrough, whereupon the two males were arrested on September 25. Further investigations revealed that most of the chickens had already been slaughtered and eaten. Police managed to recover 12 chickens from the refrigerator. They were later handed over to the owner.
Makondelele commended the police for a job well done. He said the speed with which the police acted prevented the thugs from eating all the remaining chickens. “This is one of those rare cases where criminals steal to eat. In most cases they steal in order to sell. We would like to convey our sincere gratitude to members of the community for being the eyes of the police,” he said.Written by
Elmon Tshikhudo
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
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