The Regional Court in Willowmore has sentenced Romano Jakobus (34) to fifteen years’ imprisonment for stock theft, and also declared him a habitual criminal during the sentencing process this week.
According to SAPS spokesperson, Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli, Jakobus accepted a plea deal on Tuesday, July 15, following overwhelming forensic evidence, which positively linked him to the stock theft case.
“Jakobus was arrested with a lamb carcass stashed inside a backpack on a farm, a few kilometres outside Willowmore, in January 2025,” he said.
Bail was later denied and he remained in custody until his sentencing.
Nkohli added that on Tuesday, July 22, Jakobus was sentenced to 15 years’ direct imprisonment, and was also declared a habitual criminal in terms of Section 286 (1) and (2) of Act 51/1997.
“In another separate incident, on Friday, July 18, two farm workers aged 39 and 53 briefly appeared in the Dodrecht Magistrate’s Court, facing charges of contravening the Stock Theft Act. They were not granted bail, and the case was postponed to Friday, July 25 for a bail application.”
Nkohli said that the two were arrested on July 16 around 23:00, after their vehicle, a white Toyota Avanza travelling on R56, was pulled off the road by a private security company vehicle.
“The two men were arrested after six (6) sheep carcasses were found inside their vehicle,” he concluded.
