A man was robbed of his firearm, car keys and wallet while delivering a calf in Canelands, near Phoenix last Thursday afternoon.
Prem Balram of Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said they received a call for assistance from the owner of the cow and on arrival it was established that while attending to the cow that was in labour, the owner had been robbed of his belongings by two men posing as “good Samaritans” offering assistance in the birthing of the calf.
Mr Balram said the owner of the cow and his herdsman had been assisting with the delivery when two men approached and offered to assist.
“During the birthing process, the two men offering assistance, produced a knife and a firearm. They instructed the cow owner to hand over his valuables. An altercation ensued with the cow owner falling over and his firearm was unholstered. One of the suspects grabbed the weapon and instructed him to comply with their instructions. They then stole his wallet and car keys before they fled into a sugar cane plantation,” said Mr Balram.
Enlisting help from a passer-by, the cow owner and his workers followed in pursuit of the suspects who then opened fire on them before making off. Security officers were dispatched to the scene a short while later and surrounded the area.
“It was then established that the men had fled through the sugar cane plantation before entering a densely populated area,” said Mr Balram.
He said at some point during the calf birthing process, the cow owner, had felt uneasy and took a photograph of the two men with his cellphone.
“We are appealing to anyone who has seen these men to please contact the police,” said Mr Balram.
Police are investigating a case of theft.
