Three Skukuza poachers sentenced
The Skukuza Regional Court recently sentenced three men for poaching-related offences.
Three poachers were given various sentences by the Skukuza Regional Court today, December 6, after they were recently convicted of poaching-related offences.
According to the Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, Norman Mogane (45) and Clarence Ngomane (38) were sentenced to eight years’ direct imprisonment each, while their co-accused, Nkosana Ndlovu (33), was sentenced to six years’ direct imprisonment.
The three convicts were arrested along with their co-accused, Lawrence Mnisi, who pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced by the same court.
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The three were convicted of possession of a firearm with a filed-off serial number, possession of a firearm with the intention to commit a crime, possession of ammunition, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
Nyuswa said Mogane and Ngomane were further convicted of trespassing in the park. The court further declared them unfit to possess firearms.
She said that on July 29, 2017, some security officers were patrolling near the Kruger Gate when they saw a vehicle coming through with only the driver. Later, the security officers noticed the same vehicle driving inside the park with three passengers sitting in the back.
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The officers stopped the vehicle and questioned the driver about the passengers. They discovered that only the driver had a permit. The security officers continued the search and found a hunting rifle and ammunition, which led to the arrest of the accused.
In court, all three accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. The state prosecutor, Lot Mgiba, led the evidence of the security officers who apprehended the accused. She said their testimonies were supported by the ballistics reports, which confirmed that the firearm that had been found in the accuseds’ possession was a .375 hunting rifle. The court found the accused guilty and sentenced them accordingly.
