A systematic study on stock theft contributory factors during the South African lockdown

Abstract

Undoubtedly, stock theft increased in most South African provinces during the lockdown period, thus, the objectives of this study were to provide a systematic discourse using news aggregators and seminal authors on this subject to showcase stock theft realities, and to establish the contributory factors thereof. The non-empirical research design: Systematic review methodology was used to analyse grey literature and primary research studies peer-reviewed and published, restricted from 2019-2020, as the Coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) pandemic swept South Africa by an elusive heavy storm, with 1998-2022 directed studies on this scourge, however, none sequential preference was adopted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Critical Appraisal Skill Programme (CASP) were employed to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings of this study. This study establishes that the current nature of policing in South Africa is regarded as one of the notable root causes of the stock theft problem and this crime will continue to hike during the lockdown and post-lockdown periods if concerted steps are not taken urgently by the top echelons of the South African Police Service (SAPS), their actions against this practice is currently compromised or emasculated, and the consequences are clear to see. This study recommends that to effectively respond to the identified study themes; an active discourse relating to the contributory of stock theft during lockdown should be prioritised by the South African government. This multi-agency approach should include reporting of this crime, brand-marking and tattooing of livestock, embracing technological advancements to combat it effectively.

A Systematic Study on the Evolutions of Community Policing Forums: A Supplementary Tool to Crime Prevention in South Africa

“…This is supported by Matthews and Ross (2010:282) while sharing that 'one can ask questions of documents in the same ways as one might ask questions of research participants.' The South African, Namibian and Tanzanian online newspapers and media reports, journal articles, Dissertations, research books and subjected related manuscripts, internet searches, including the departmental websites were visited by the researcher, restricted from 1994-2021 (Not in a sequence format] (Maluleke, 2020;Mokwena & Maluleke, 2020;and Maluleke, Mphatheni & Nkosi, 2022). The sampling methods consisted of the 'nonprobability: Purposive sampling' focusing on data primarily relevant to the study subject.…”

The Nexus of South African Police Service and Community Policing Forums in dismantling the ‘Boko Haram’ gang in the Dan Village of Tzaneen Township, South Africa

“…The exploratory research objective guided this study. The review of literature (Drawn from various news reports, peer-reviewed journals, scholarly books, and other related information gathered by utilising Google Scholar and Research Gate) and gathering views from through the KIIs with the selected 10 participants were purposively staged (Maluleke, 2020;Mokwena & Maluleke, 2020;and Maluleke, Mphatheni & Nkosi, 2022).…”

The ‘contestation of crime’: Using a spatial theory of crime to examine livestock theft among small-scale farmers in Swartruggens, North West province

“…Participants were largely in agreement that this desperation has been exacerbated since the Covid-19 pandemic begun. Official statistics indicate that livestock theft has declined since the pandemic begun (see Clack, 2022) although other studies have found increases in certain areas of the country (see Maluleke et al, 2022;van der Walt, 2020). It is unclear whether this trend is similar in Swartruggens but it seems reasonable to assume that this would be the case although this was not explicitly investigated in this study.…”

“…Similarly, Maluleke et al (2016) examined the extent of livestock theft in Limpopo and found incidences of livestock theft to be rising at an alarming rate, greatly affecting the livelihoods of farmers and their employees. Other related studies include Clack and Minnaar (2018); Maluleke et al (2019); Maluleke et al (2022);and Pasiwe et al (2021). Clack (2015) notes how focusing on 'popular' rural crimes such as rhino poaching and farm attacks (which receive relatively widespread media attention) in South Africa, has created a disparity for other rural crimes such as livestock theft, which remains largely under-researched and misunderstood.…”