Skukuza court sentences former Kruger ranger and vet technician
State moves to seize assets as the convicted pair prepare to appeal against their rhino poaching judgment.
Former senior Kruger National Park game ranger Rodney Landela and Kennith Mochocho, who worked as a state veterinary animal health technician based in Skukuza, have been sentenced to 10 years in jail for rhino poaching.
The two were arrested a decade ago, and both were found guilty by the Skukuza Regional Court magistrate, Mbongeni Ngobeni, on Friday, October 9.
READ: Former Kruger game ranger convicted of rhino poaching in Skukuza court
Gunshots alert rangers in Kingfisher Spruit
Landela and Mochocho were arrested on July 27, 2016, in the Kingfisher Spruit ranger section between Satara and Orpen.
At the time, rangers responded when they heard shots fired. They found a white rhino that had been shot and killed, with its horns hacked off.
During sentencing, Ngobeni said Landela, as a senior ranger with access to sensitive information about the fight against poachers, misused his position of trust.
Pair appeal as state targets assets
Both men indicated that they would appeal against the judgment.
The head of the Mpumalanga Asset Forfeiture Unit, Kobus van der Walt, also submitted an application to investigate the possibility of confiscating assets belonging to Landela and Mochocho.
