Rural Livestock Farming Challenges in South Africa’s Mpumalanga Province: A Case Study of Dr. Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Policing Precinct

Sandile Clement Masuku1 & Hendrick Puleng Motlalekgosi2

Abstract
This study explored unemployment and poverty as selective challenges on stock theft causation in the rural farming community of the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme. Through the applications of qualitative research approach, and nonprobability: Purposive sampling method, about Twenty-one (21) participants formed part of this study, including Nine (09) police officials from the South African Police Service Stock Theft Units (SAPS STUs) of Three (03) different police stations, namely: Daggakraal, Amersfoort, and Wakkerstroom, all from the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme. Other participants comprised Four (04) livestock farmers, Five (05) herdsmen, One (01) Community Police Forum (CPF) member, and Two (02) community leaders. They were all subjected to one-on-one in-depth semistructured interviews for data collections. The collected data were analysed by means of Creswell’s (2009) six steps of data analysis. This study ascertained that poverty and unemployment are the main causative factors of stock theft in the study area. On the basis of these findings, several recommendations were made.

Keywords: Unemployment, poverty, stock theft, crime, farming community.