Following the arrest of two suspects in a tractor theft case, a man has accused the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of spreading misinformation.
Image: KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
A man has accused the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of spreading misinformation about an arrest after the theft of tractors.
The man was reacting to a department statement issued last week.
On the DARD Facebook page, Sbu Msimango made multiple comments in response to the statement saying: “Government communication should be impartial, credible, and fair. This page is not for selling fake news.”
He then said it is bad when even "the government has become a newspaper, writing something untrue".
“Something needs to be corrected in the information on this page; much of it lacks truth,” Msimango said.
He also said: “Spreading misinformation can erode trust, cause confusion, and potentially undermine the integrity of legal proceedings. Request that the government page correct or retract the inaccurate information.”
In the statement, DARD said it is taking a zero-tolerance approach to theft and corruption, therefore, it was eliminating criminal elements within its ranks after two suspected thieves were arrested for stealing a tractor on March 27.
According to the department, one of the suspects is a department official based at Inkosi Owen Sithole College of Agriculture and was involved in the theft.
Two tractors were allegedly stolen from the Mbonambi area under uMfolozi Local Municipality, in northern KZN. The official reportedly coordinated the theft and movement of the tractors.
A departmental senior official from the King Cetshwayo district displayed quick thinking by reporting the matter to the uMfolozi Local Municipality traffic police.
This led to the interception of a tractor in the Sokhulu area. The tractor was being driven by a man suspected of being the accomplice of the departmental official.
Reacting to the arrest, DARD MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa said the move proved the department’s commitment to tackling any form of criminality, even among its ranks.
“We are committed to rooting out rotten elements within our ranks. Wrongdoers must face the consequences of their actions and face the full might of the law,” KaMadlopha-Mthethwa said.
“We thank our senior official in the King Cetshwayo District, who worked with the police to apprehend the suspects.”
The official was detained and was to appear in court on theft charges.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za