SKUKUZA – The son of the regional field ranger of Phalaborwa appeared in the local Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday on a charge of poaching after the carcass of a white rhino was discovered near Paul Kruger Gate in the Kruger National Park (KNP) on Sunday.
Mr Derrick Mashale’s 27-year-old son, Mr Tshepo Marvin Mashale, also an employee of SANParks, appeared with his co-accused, Mr Exelence Blues Shabangu, a 26-year-old field guide and water-control officer, stationed at the gate.
They were arrested on Monday after the carcass of a rhino was discovered on the S4 dirt road the previous day, about 5,5 kilometres from the gate. It was also seen by various visitors as it was only about 20 metres from the road. Both horns had been hacked off.
Mashale and Shabangu appeared briefly and were remanded in custody until their next appearance on April 16.
Mr Abe Sibiya, acting CEO of SANParks, said the strategies employed in the fight against rhino poaching were focused not only on external forces, but also within its own ranks. “We will not leave any stone unturned and this should send out a stern warning to those who are conspiring with poachers that we will deal with them decisively and swiftly.”
He added that the use of advanced technology which was now in place in the park also led to the breakthrough in apprehending Mashale and Shabangu. “This technology, made possible through funds donated by the public, various corporations and foundations, is assisting us to build the much-needed intelligence in the fight against poaching.
“A lot of work is underway to stabilise the situation and we are confident that the collective interventions of all law-enforcement local and international agencies will eventually curb or reduce, if not stop rhino poaching,” Sibiya concluded.
Later on Wednesday, the department of environmental affairs issued the latest statistics: 277 rhino have been poached since the beginning of the year, 166 of them in Kruger and 32 arrests have been made in the park in the same period.
This is not the first time that SANParks employees have been implicated in rhino poaching. Messrs Duncan Mnisi (former field guide), Tiyene Mabunda (former field guide), Charles Mabunda (former field guide), Doctor Mgwenyama (former traffic official) and Ms Jennifer Brown – Mgwenyama’s wife – will appear in court again on May 19.
They are suspected of having poached two white rhino bulls at Nape Boulders Loop near Pretorius Kop on February 27, 2012.
It was testified during the four men’s bail application, that the horns had been given to Mr Elton Maluleke, a former field ranger who was dismissed that same year after having been found guilty on various charges at a disciplinary hearing. He was never arrested.
