Man jailed for 80 years for cattle theft

The Mokopane Regional Court sentenced a man to 80 years imprisonment for cattle theft, according to a report.

Beeld newspaper reported on Monday that Tinus Groenewald, 37, from the East Rand stole about R2 million worth of cattle and goats in Limpopo and the North West in July and August 2013, according to the report.

On Friday, Magistrate Gerhard Pretorius ordered that Groenewald serve some of the sentences concurrently.

Beeld reported that prosecutor Liezl Del Frate said that he would serve 16 years of the sentence.

The theft happened on farms that border national roads. The fences were cut and a truck was taken to where the animals were and they were loaded onto the truck.

In August 2013, Groenewald handed himself over to police after one of his trucks were impounded by the Kranskop toll plaza.

His co-accused Andries Chauke, 52, and Titus Chauke, 34, said they were not guilty and their trial would be separate, Beeld reported.