Africa Wild

Global march for Rhinos and Elephants presented in court

Court sentence in favour of the public’s disdain of poaching.
Helene Eloff | 8 October 2014 08:04

MBOMBELA – The weekend’s Global march for Rhinos and Elephants was referred to in the Nelspruit Regional Court as part of the state’s pre-sentencing argument against a convicted rhino poacher yesterday.
Amelco Thomas Mhlanga was convicted on a count of trespassing into the Kruger National Park and two counts of poaching in the Nelspruit Regional Court yesterday.
State prosecutor Advocate Isabet Erwee referred to the past weekend’s Global march for rhino’s and elephants and presented this as proof of society’s disdain of the crime. Extracts from a newspaper article were presented to the court relaying the public’s interest in the fight against rhino and elephant poaching. South Africans’ passionate fight against these crimes and the call for harsher sentences served as motivation for the state’s sentencing argument.
Magistrate Willie Wilkens took this into account before sentencing the offender to 15 years in prison.

Rhino poachers jailed in Mpumalanga

Johannesburg - Two rhino poachers, both foreign nationals, arrested in unrelated incidents were sentenced in Mpumalanga courts this week, police said on Friday.

In one incident, Alvao Fagustino Sifundza from Mozambique was handed an eight-year sentence by the White River Periodical Court on Wednesday.

Hawks Captain Paul Ramaloko said Sifundza was arrested by game rangers in the Kruger National Park in April while his accomplice fled.

"He was found in possession of a high calibre hunting rifle, ammunition, a silencer, an axe, and a number of items of clothing," said Ramaloko.

Sifundza was convicted of trespassing, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm.

In a separate incident, Vietnamese national Ngoc Cuong Pham appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on Monday.

He was arrested with 13 other people in May 2012 after they were found in possession of rhino horn, said Ramaloko.

"[He] was sentenced to five years imprisonment and fined R1 million for dealing in and for being in possession of a rhino horn," Ramaloko said.

He was handed an additional five years for racketeering, three years of which were suspended for five years.

His co-accused would appear in court on 4 November when a trial date would be set.

- SAPA

Nice to see the rhino March was mentioned!

A fine of R1 mill PLUS jail time is also good!

Kruger arrests 5 poachers
2014-10-17 21:03


Mbombela - Five suspected rhino poachers were arrested in the Kruger National Park on Friday, the SA National Parks (SANParks) and the police said.

SANParks spokesperson Paul Daphne said the five were arrested in the Tshokwane Section of the park during a joint operation with the SA Police Service.

He said two vehicles, suspected of being involved in rhino-poaching activities in the Kruger National Park, were stopped and searched.

A .375 hunting rifle, silencer, ammunition and other poaching-related equipment were recovered.

"This is a clear indication of the cohesive effect of the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure [Natjoints] initiative in the park, and that co-operation and joint operations are essential if we are to defeat the criminal syndicates," he said.

The arrest brings the total number of people arrested inside the Kruger National Park in connection with poaching activities this year to 104.
- SAPA


http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Kruger ... s-20141017

News on Afrikaans radio midday; One poacher killed, one arrested .Cellphones and rifle confiscated after fire fight.Have not more detail,did any body knows/heard more?

Ja, dup!

Media Release: Kruger National Park Joint Operations net 14 rhino poaching suspects


Date: 20th October 2014

South African National Parks (SANParks) yesterday, announced three highly successful operations since Friday morning which led to the arrest of 14 suspected rhino poachers. This brings the total number of poaching suspects arrested in the Kruger National Park (KNP) this year to 113.

In a joint operation with members of the South African Police Services (SAPS) on the morning of Friday, 17 October, SANParks Rangers stopped a suspicious vehicle near Skukuza and arrested 5 suspects. A .375 hunting rifle, ammunition and poaching equipment as well as a vehicle were confiscated in the operation.

Later on during the afternoon of the same day, three other suspects were arrested in the Malelane area. During this operation SANParks Rangers, whilst on patrol in this section of the KNP, noticed a suspicious vehicle suspected to be involved in rhino poaching activities.

On Saturday, 18 October, in the Punda Maria section of the KNP, shortly after sunrise, a joint SANParks and SAPS deployment, supported by South African National Defence Force (SANDF) air wing, made contact with three suspected poachers. During the engagement, two of the suspects were seriously wounded and arrested while the third was arrested unharmed. The two wounded suspects were immediately taken to hospital where one later died of his injuries. The remaining wounded suspect is currently receiving treatment under police guard in hospital. A hunting rifle, ammunition and poaching equipment were also recovered at the scene. Further follow up investigations in all three operations are currently underway.

Reacting to the arrests, the SANParks Officer Commanding in the KNP Major General (RET) Johan Jooste, commended all the forces involved in the successful operations. “We are in a volatile area that is under tremendous pressure and every time our joint forces make these arrests we are encouraged. This confirms that united we can conquer this scourge of rhino poaching. I am eternally grateful to the cooperation and dedication of these men and women in uniform who face huge challenges in their daily operations but continue to be dedicated to the cause of protecting our natural assets from greedy poaching syndicates,” concluded Jooste.

Issued by:
South African National Parks (SANParks) Corporate Communications
Tel: 012 426 5170

Media enquiries:
Reynold Thakhuli
GM: Media, Events & Stakeholder Relations, SANParks
Tel: 012 426 5203; Cell: 073 373 4999
Email: rey.thakhuli@sanparks.org

My question is why are the gates letting in suspicious vehicles and what is being done about it. Surely they must realise the gates are first point of security?

Ja, Robert! The other thing is that the Punda bunch was one in Moz military uniform and the other two in SP clothes...them being charged with impersonating an SP worker...don't know if such an offence even exists?

How did they get the SP uniforms?

The others are the fourth or fifth arrests made on "tourist" vehicles lately...

As said somewhere before, why bother trekking in all the way from Moz when you can drive in as a tourist or staff village visitor and pot a rhino just after closing time, have buddies chop the horns....leave through the gate the next day? Who knows?

Saw a lot of helicopter activity in the park on Friday...must have been this.

SANParks rangers shoot suspected rhino poacher

SANParks rangers shot and killed a suspected rhino poacher in the Kruger National Park on Saturday morning, according to Limpopo police.

Spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said it is alleged the park rangers noticed three men within the Punda Maria – Boxahuku Mountains at the Kruger National Park and ordered them to stop. The men allegedly shot at the rangers, who then returned fire, according to SANews.
One suspect died at the scene and another sustained gunshot wounds to his left knee and right thigh. The third suspect surrendered and was arrested.

One hunting rifle with 11 rounds of ammunition, an axe, a knife and three cellphones were confiscated.

The deceased suspect was believed to be wearing a Mozambican soldier's uniform while the other two were apparently dressed in the SANParks uniform.

The wounded suspect is under police guard at an undisclosed hospital while the other suspect is in custody and is expected to appear at the Makhado Magistrates Court soon.

The surviving suspected poachers are facing a range of charges including rhino poaching, attempted murder, trespassing, possession of an unlicensed firearm and impersonating a SANParks official.

Investigations are continuing to determine the identities of the suspects, said Mulaudzi.

Meanwhile, in a joint operation conducted on Friday, the South African Police Service and SANParks arrested five suspected poachers in the Tshokwane Section of the Kruger National Park.

The five were arrested after two vehicles, suspected of being involved in rhino poaching activities, were stopped and searched.

A .375 hunting rifle, silencer and ammunition and other poaching related equipment were recovered in the operation.

Head of Communications for SANParks, Paul Daphne, said the successful operation was a clear indication of the cohesive effect of the NATJOINTS initiative in the park and that cooperation and joint operations were essential to defeating criminal syndicates.