Convicted poacher Sydney Sibuyi (40) will spend 30 years in jail after being sentenced in the Skukuza Regional Court yesterday.

Sibuyi was found in possession of five rhino horns in the Kruger National Park in July 2020. Three rhino carcasses were found nearby.

Provincial National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa says Sibuyi pleaded guilty to the crime. He was convicted of trespassing in the Kruger National Park (KNP), three counts of killing rhinos, and conspiracy to commit an offence.

“On July 12, 2020, rangers of the Skukuza section of the KNP received information about three suspected poachers. They followed the lead and found Sibuyi in possession of five fresh rhino horns. They continued the search and found three rhino carcasses in the vicinity. This led to Sibuyi’s arrest. The T-shirt he was wearing had bloodstains, which were taken for DNA analysis. He pleaded guilty to all counts,” says Nyuswa.

She adds that in aggravation of sentence, state prosecutor Lot Mgiba presented DNA results that confirmed the bloodstains matched the carcasses at the crime scene.

Besides being sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment, Sibuyi was declared unfit to possess a firearm.

“As the NPA, we are pleased with the sentence. Rhino poaching endangers not only the population of targeted animals but also other animals in their ecosystem,” says Nyuswa.