MBABANE – Police have busted a cattle-theft syndicate believed to have been stealing livestock and clandestinely slaughtering them for illegal meat distribution
The crackdown comes amid heightened concern from government that illegal slaughtering and the unauthorised movement of cattle are sabotaging national disease-control measures, including vaccination programmes and movement restrictions imposed to curb the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Following the arrests, the State moved swiftly to court and successfully obtained a preservation and seizure order under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) 2018. The order covers a refrigerated motor vehicle, cash and specialised slaughtering equipment, which police allege were used as instrumentalities of crime in the theft, slaughter and transportation of stolen cattle. Investigators believe the suspects operated in an organised manner, targeting livestock from different areas before processing and distributing the meat illegally.
The use of refrigeration equipment is alleged to have enabled the syndicate to store and transport meat secretly to evade detection.
The development also comes at a time when the Minister for Agriculture, Mandla Tshawuka, has publicly warned that concealed slaughtering is directly undermining government’s fight against FMD, threatening food security and the livelihoods of farmers, particularly smallholder producers.
Investigations into this and other matters show that chances are high that the packaged 2.5kg and 5kg beef, pork and boerewors sold to unsuspecting consumers could be stolen meat.
The investigations have led to the arrest of three men who were reportedly caught slaughtering three cows belonging to a livestock farmer, Merica Vilakati, at Zandondo, near the Mbuluzi River. Vilakati, aged 42, is a Civil Engineer and the Managing Director of Construction Associates.
According to affidavits filed in court, Vilakati was alerted by his herdsman, Wonder Fakudze, who found the three men skinning cattle believed to belong to his employer at a nearby farm. Fakudze reported that the suspects were travelling in a refrigerated vehicle and that the owner later confessed to police that he deals in the distribution of packaged beef, pork and boerewors.
Crown Counsel Mxolisi Dlamini of the Asset Forfeiture Unit detailed a sequence of events beginning on November 23, 2025, which led to the discovery of the slaughtered cattle. Dlamini stated that Vilakati had acquired a portion of Alex Mngometulu’s farm in June 2025 and had moved about 100 cattle onto the property, which was still in the process of being fenced. As a result, some cattle occasionally strayed onto the neighbouring farm.
While searching for missing cattle on Mngometulu’s property, Fakudze reported hearing the sound of a chain block.
He said he observed three men inside a newly-erected barbed-wire kraal lowering a skinned carcass using the chain block and noticed a white Toyota refrigerated vehicle parked nearby.
One of the men was identified as Thabiso Thandoluhle Mkoko, whom Fakudze recognised from the local compound. After the vehicle drove off towards Croydon, Fakudze inspected the scene and found three cattle skins belonging to Vilakati, specifically two reddish cows and one red bull.
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Car, cash, slaughter tools seized through POCA
MBABANE – The State has obtained a preservation and seizure order under POCA for the white Toyota light delivery vehicle, E18 500 in cash and specialised equipment allegedly used in the illicit slaughter and transportation of stolen cattle.
The order was issued by Judge Sabelo Masuku and prohibits any person from dealing with the vehicle, registered as HSD 411 EM. The motor vehicle has been placed under the effective control of Detective Constable Thulani Makhanya pending final forfeiture proceedings.
Also seized are a chain block, a saw, an orange rope and a white knife, which the State alleges were essential tools used to slaughter, skin and load the cattle.
The accused – Thabiso Thandoluhle Mkoko of Mafutseni, Sibonginkhosi Gamedze of Nkiliji and Siboniso Matsenjwa of Bhekinkosi – face charges under the Stock Theft Act relating to the theft and slaughter of three cattle belonging to Vilakati.
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Eyewitness’ account of shady operation
MBABANE – Wonder Fakudze (25) says he hid behind a gate when he saw the men in a makeshift kraal, where three cows had been slaughtered.
Fakudze, who commenced his employment with Merica Vilakati on November 7, 2025, was tasked with looking after a herd that, according to official records, should consist of 105 cattle. At the time of the incident, Fakudze said he had physically identified 76 cattle and recovered an additional 20, all of which were marked with distinctive green ear tags.
On the morning of November 23, 2025, at approximately 11am, Fakudze said he was patrolling his employer’s farm boundaries. Since the demarcation fence between Vilakati’s property and the neighbouring Mngometulu farm remains under construction, livestock frequently stray across the perimeter. While searching for missing cattle on the Mngometulu property, Fakudze reported hearing a mechanical noise consistent with the operation of a chain block.
He said upon investigating the source of the noise, he discovered a recently erected, enclosed kraal-like structure made of barbed wire and noted that this structure had not been present during his previous walks through the area.
According to his affidavit, Fakudze saw three men inside the enclosure using a chain block to lower a skinned carcass into the back of a vehicle. The vehicle was described as a white Toyota fitted with a cooler box.
Fakudze stated that one of the men attempted to call out to him, but he chose to ignore the group and hid near a gate to observe their movements. When one of the men approached to open the gate, Fakudze allegedly identified him as an individual with the surname Mkoko. Fakudze said he recognised Mkoko from the Mngometulu compound, a location the herdsman frequently visited to charge his mobile phone.
He stated that the white vehicle, bearing the registration number HSD 411 EM, subsequently drove off in the direction of Croydon with two men on board, while Mkoko returned to the Mngometulu compound.
After the vehicle departed, Fakudze inspected the site of the enclosure. He reported finding three cattle skins that he identified as belonging to his employer, Vilakati. The skins corresponded to two reddish cows with white spots and one red bull. Fakudze immediately contacted Vilakati via mobile phone to report the discovery and provide the registration details of the vehicle. In a follow-up conversation, Vilakati informed his employee that the men in the vehicle had been apprehended. Following these events, police officers arrived at the Zandondo farm to record Fakudze’s statement regarding the day’s events. Meanwhile, Vilakati, in a separate affidavit, stated that while travelling towards the farm at Mliba, he received an urgent communication from Fakudze. The employee reported a suspicious white van with a freezer operating on the property. According to Vilakati, the herdsman informed him that two cattle skins belonging to him were found on the ground at the scene.
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