Two women accused of poaching rhinos were due to appear in court on Tuesday.
Confidence Angel Mtambo and Nokwanda Trendy Khumalo have been charged with conspiracy to hunt rhinos and possession of illegal firearms. Khumalo appeared in court on Tuesday, but Mtambo failed to arrive. A sick note alleged that she is suffering from severely high blood pressure. When they appeared in court in May, they were granted bail of R2500 each.
They are the first women in the province to be facing charges linked to rhino poaching. They were caught after skilful intervention by the Newcastle Organised Crime Unit yielded a triumphant breakthrough in the relentless battle against rhino poaching. It is alleged that the women were preparing to have two rhinos at Weenen Game Reserve killed and de-horned for the princely sum of R500,000.
Abrie de Klerk, a member of the Newcastle Organised Crime Unit and an integral part of the investigation, said that members of the public had informed them that the women were offering rhino horns for sale in early April. An undercover police officer was tasked with meeting the suspects and negotiating to purchase the horns. Three weeks of engaging with them led to the recovery of a rifle with two rounds of ammunition, and both were charged with illegal possession of a firearm and conspiracy to hunt rhinos. The women who hatched up the ‘get rich quick’ plan to kill the rhinos were apparently neighbours in the Weenen area and otherwise unemployed.
790 rhinos have been killed this year, with a total of 75 killed in KZN. Residents who have information that can help bring the unnecessary bloodshed of South Africa’s dwindling rhino population to an end are urged to contact Officer de Klerk urgently on 071-481-3454.
