After 48 racing pigeons were relieved from his Sidwell loft in the Eastern Cape, Niezaam Jappie is left counting the cost. In what was ‘clearly a calculated break-in,’ says the police, Jappie’s 2026 team of racing pigeons – acquired over nearly 15 years – was gone in an instant.
The Eastern Cape man was in the delicate process of breeding 60 young racing pigeons for next year’s season. Unfortunately, only a few baby birds were left behind after the brazen break-in. SAPS Captain, Sandra Janse van Rensburg, confirmed that a case of theft has been opened …
RACING PIGEONS STOLEN IN SOUTH AFRICA
According to Jappie – listed as Managing Director of Jappie Plumbers on LinkedIn – breeding a winning team is a painstaking, meticulous process. You must first select healthy, well-conditioned pigeons with good genetics, ideally from winning lines. Next, is building a clean, safe, and comfortable loft with individual nest boxes for each of the racing pigeons. Then you must provide a diet rich in protein and minerals.
However, the intruders had other ideas and wanted to cash in on all of Jappie’s hard work over the years. According to his account, the thieves entered the loft without triggering the alarm system. And they expertly disconnected all surveillance cameras beforehand, too. These were no opportunists, but rather calculating, premeditated criminals.
CRIMINALS WHO UNDERSTAND RACING PIGEONS
“They removed the pins and louvres cleanly. This tells me these are people who understand racing pigeons and how their lofts work,” Jappie said. However, somewhat worryingly, this is not an isolated incident, reports NovaNews. SAPS Kariega currently has two other active investigations into the theft of racing pigeons.
The first was in Valleisig, where 60 pigeons were stolen back in September. And a further 50 stolen in November in Kariega. Jappie’s 48 in Sidwell marks the third such incident in three months. No arrests have been made in any of the cases and enquires are ongoing, says the SAPS.
EVIDENCE TIES THEM TOGETHER?
Nevertheless, the Eastern Province Pigeon Union (EPPU) is concerned. A spokesperson from the union says while no direct evidence ties the incidents together, there are certainly similarities. Although, it maintains that the responsibility for securing lofts ultimately rests with the bird owners.
In light of recent events, the EPPU has issued alerts urging everyone to assess their lofts and implement additional security measures where necessary.
What do you think? With three incidents back-to-back, do you think there is something more sinister at play here? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below …
