Five suspected poachers arrested
"We are thankful that one ranger managed to subdue five criminals without any harm to himself" said CEO of SANparks, Fundisile Mketeni
MALALANE – This week SANParks announced the arrests of five suspected rhino poachers in the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) Malelane Section in an intelligence-driven operation last weekend.
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The suspects were in possession of five fresh rhino horns, a high-calibre hunting rifle, ammunition and poaching equipment. The vehicle in which they were travelling has also been impounded for further investigation.
The arrests followed the discovery of two fresh rhino carcasses in the section, which were covered with grass and twigs to delay their discovery. The section ranger immediately deployed his rangers to look
for possible vehicles that might be ferrying the suspects.
A suspicious-looking kombi with two visible passengers and three others, who were hiding, appeared not far from where the carcasses were discovered. The permit in their possession was only for two people and the ranger became more suspicious when he saw three others hiding out of sight.
He instructed the driver to open the rear door and then climb out with hands in the air. This exposed the other passengers, who he instructed to lie on the floor along with the driver. He then handcuffed all three and proceeded to arrest the fourth suspect. This person motioned that the fifth suspect had a gun pointing at the ranger. However, the suspect failed to pull the trigger. The ranger then called for backup after the arrests.
The suspects are in custody and SANParks is not ruling out further arrests. They will appear in court to face rhino poaching-related charges in due course.
The CEO of SANParks, Fundisile Mketeni, has congratulated the team on the arrests and continues to warn criminals that the KNP is ready to stop them in their tracks. “We are thankful that one ranger managed to subdue five criminals without any harm to himself, and we continue to warn those who intend to poach in the KNP that our dedicated staff, technology and information from communities will lead to your incarceration. We won’t stop until all criminals are removed from society,” said Mketeni.
