The Skukuza Regional Court has postponed the poaching case against Rodney Landela and Kenneth Motshotsho to November 27 and 28 for the defence’s case.

Mpumalanga News reports that Landela and Motshotsho, both former employees of the Kruger National Park (KNP), briefly appeared in court yesterday.

Their bail of R20 000 each was extended pending their next appearance.

The two suspects were both 52 years old at the time of their arrest on July 27, 2016, following the killing and dehorning of a white rhino in the Kingfisherspruit region of the KNP.

They both face multiple charges, including one of illegal hunting in the KNP.

According to the state’s evidence, rangers reportedly heard three gunshots near Satara Camp. Upon investigation, the rangers saw two people, one in a green ranger uniform, fleeing in a white bakkie.

Witnesses testified that the same vehicle returned a short while later, with both men inside. Landela, still wearing bloodied boots, exited the vehicle. Motshotsho then drove towards Satara Camp, allegedly on Landela’s instruction.

When he returned a short while later, rangers searched the bakkie and discovered two pairs of bloodied shoes and an axe hidden in the back. A search of the surrounding area led to the recovery of a .375 hunting rifle – issued to Landela – along with two freshly severed rhino horns stashed in the veld.

Landela was a regional ranger and was once considered the ‘crown prince’ of Kruger’s ranger corps and widely viewed as the likely successor to the park’s chief ranger post. He had been in the employ of SANParks for 15 years, having begun his career in 2001.

Motshotsho worked for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Skukuza before his arrest.

Both suspects were subjected to an internal disciplinary hearing that led to their dismissal from their posts.

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