MBOMBELA – Two additional police officers joined the the myriad of their law enforcement colleagues accused of involvement in rhino poaching.
The policemen and four civilians were arrested after being found with two rhino horns in their possession on Saturday. “It is the responsibility of the SAPS and SANParks to protect rhinos from being poached. Members of the SAPS and SANParks should not take part in the illegal and unlawful poaching of rhinos. In doing so, they place our country’s heritage under siege.” This statement by High Court judge Mr Francois Botha has been repeated in various courts since he made it in 2014. Yet those tasked with protecting our animals keep doing the opposite.
Police spokesman Brig Leonard Hlathi said the two police officers believed to be involved are Const Simanga Mnisi and Const Manguni Nyalunga from Masoyi Police Station. “They were spotted at the Phakane Game Reserve in Ngodwana,” he said. Rhino had allegedly been poached there. “They were driving a police vehicle to collect four men,” he said. Members of Crime Intelligence and police members followed the vehicle, which came to a stop five kilometres out of Mbombela. It was searched and, according to Hlathi, two rhino horns and a loaded hunting rifle were recovered.
The policemen’s firearms were seized and disciplinary investigations will follow. Yesterday, while the police officials and Messrs Bandile Gamede, Sakile Habile, Alex Mlambo and Syco Ngoma appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court, the carcass was found on the reserve. It had been hidden in an embankment. The case was postponed unitl November 28.
On September 19, three policemen from Skukuza were dismissed from the service after it was found that they had committed poaching-related activities in 2014. Consts Arnold Mashele, Morries Sehlabela and Dennis Mkhonto were found guilty of corruption, contravening the National Environmental Management Act (Nema) and failing to comply with the police’s code of conduct during an internal disciplinary process. The charges stemmed from an incident on May 27, 2014.
During the proceedings, the Hawks’ Capt Leroy Bruwer explained how they were arrested. “The carcass of a freshly poached black rhino was discovered in the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) Skukuza section,” he stated.
“On attending the scene, rangers found and followed footprints leading towards the H4 tourist road between the Lower Sabie and Skukuza camps,” Bruwer’s report read. Suspecting that a poacher would be picked up by a vehicle any time after that, the police set up roadblocks and searched all suspicious vehicles. “At that time, the park’s gates had already closed,” he said.
What was found in the back of an unmarked police vehicle, shocked the police. When they opened the van’s backdoor, a man armed with a hunting rifle, stared back at them. The latter was reportedly identified as former SANParks ranger Mr Phineas Dinda. According to what Bruwer the firearm was identified as an “illegal heavy-calibre hunting rifle, coupled with a silencer”. Dinda and Consts Arnold Mashele and Morris Sehlabela were arrested and charged with contravening Nema and corruption. Over time, investigations led to the arrest of another police official, Const Dennis Mkhonto.
The four were on trial, but the court case against them was withdrawn in December last year, giving the police more time to investigate. The case may be re-instituted once SAPS has completed their investigation.
Read more here: Suspects linked to rhino poaching arrested
