Criminological profiling and assessments of offenders have proved to be a valuable tool in
the prediction and rehabilitation of criminal behaviour. However, such assessments have
mostly been applied to violent types of crimes. Although economic crimes such as theft and
fraud have not been neglected, the value and application of criminological profiling and the
assessment of offenders who perpetrated the crime of livestock theft has not been fully
explored. This article focuses on three case studies drawn from court case records and otherrelated
literature of individuals who have been found guilty of livestock theft. The aim is to
explore, describe and examine these case studies from a criminological perspective following
an in-depth qualitative case study analysis. This analysis shows that livestock theft in
particular is not a typical crime committed out of a need for immediate gratification of
hunger (or so-called ‘potslagting’ [slaughtering for the pot]), but a crime that is committed
by individuals who come from different socio-economic backgrounds, who have diverse
social standings in society and who commit this type of crime for various reasons. The data
includes a discussion on the motives, causes and contributory factors linked to the crime of
livestock theft. Furthermore, the need to implement an Africanised approach to explain crime
from a criminological point of view is briefly debated with particular reference to the
explanation of livestock theft. Livestock are seen, not only as a commodity, but also as
something that has cultural significance. Therefore, the contributory value of the application
of criminological profiling and offender assessments towards the prevention and policing of
livestock theft should not be overlooked.