Staff Reporter
ANDRE Blaauw, a 41-year-old man who is accused of stealing around 28 sheep and 56 cattle, appeared in the Aranos Magistrate Court and was denied bail.
According to Hardap Police Deputy Commissioner and Crime Investigation Division Head John Mwatongwe, the crime was committed on Farm Coenbritz in Aranos between July and August 2024. However, the suspect was only arrested on 29 January 2025 due to outstanding information on investigations and the fact that the owner of the stolen livestock, Sarel Oberholzer, was mostly based in South Africa.
He added that the complainant and Blaauw previously worked together until he stole Oberholzer’s livestock.
Deputy Commissioner Mwatongwe said that the suspect intended to steal about 100 sheep but could not load all of them and managed to get away with 56 cattle and 28 sheep, leaving around 72 sheep recovered by the owner. He concluded that the rest of the animals, which were taken without the permission of the owner, have not been recovered.
He added that while the suspect, Blaauw, is additionally accused of defrauding Oberholzer in the amount of N$30,000, he could not locate any such docket.
