SANDF member and another accused in court for poaching

NELSPRUIT – This week two suspected rhino poachers gave reasons to the court to explain why one was inside, and the other just outside the fence of the Kruger National Park (KNP) in September 2010. One of them said he was searching for his cattle and the other claimed he was looking for herbs.

On Tuesday Mr Michale Sithole and Mr Boet Leonard Mashego, a SANDF soldier, appeared in the Nelspruit Regional Court on various charges related to rhino poaching.

They both face three counts of performing illegal activities in a national park, five counts of restricted activity involving a threatened species, five counts of theft, four counts of possession of an illegal firearm, and fourm of illegal possession of ammunition.

The two men were arrested in September 2010 after a shootout with game rangers. Mashego was wounded in the shoulder during the encounter.

They are suspected of being involved in 10 rhino poaching incidents in the Stolsnek area near Pretoriuskop.

Two rhino horns, two firearms and ammunition were apparently found in their possession.

A dead rhino of which the horns were removed, was found in the area shortly before the arrests.

In court, a ranger who cannot be identified, recounted the events of the night.

He said it was about 03:45 when they found Mashego inside the fence of the park. Sithole was on the outside.

He said it was a full moon that night so he could see the suspects quite clearly.

He said Mashego pointed his firearm in the rangers’ direction and that was when the rangers opened fire.

Mashego’s defence claimed he had been shot in the back as his exit bullet wound was bigger in the front, than in the back.

The defence also claimed that Mashego was apparently looking for his cattle at the time and Sithole was searching for herbs. Yet the ranger said no herbs were found on him and they had found rhino horns and Mashego had the rifle.

Magistrate Mr André Geldenhuys then postponed the trial until December 9.