Alleged pangolin traffickers appear in Bronkhorstspruit Regional Court, await new lawyer
In the meantime, the trial of other pangolin trafficking suspects is set to continue in the nearby Cullinan Regional Court on July 28.
Two alleged wildlife traffickers again appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Regional Court on Monday, July 18.
Wisani Shilubana and Shalom Ngulube are accused of being in the illegal possession of a pangolin.
The duo was arrested at the Rose Sasol Filling Station on the N4 close to Bronkhorstspruit with a pangolin in their possession on July 30, 2020.
These rare animals are considered the most illegally trafficked mammals on the planet and any form of trade in pangolins are against the law.
Several days before the arrest, Prof Ray Jansen, a globally acknowledged expert on pangolins, received a video of four men selling a 12,8kg male pangolin on July 23, 2020.
He acted as an agent in an intelligence-driven police operation.
Shilubana and Ngulube were arrested at the filling station and the group of law enforcers managed to rescue the animal.
The pangolin was taken to the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital where it was treated for pneumonia, dehydration and PTSD.
According to Jansen, the pangolin named Willy Thomas was fitted with a tracking device and eventually placed in a release programme in Manyoni nature reserve in KwaZulu-Natal, overseen by the African Pangolin Working Group.
After their arrest, Shilubana, a South African, was released on bail, but Ngulube who is a Malawian was remanded in custody since.
The case against Shilubana and Ngulube was postponed on Monday to October 24 for new legal aid representation.
In the meantime, the trial of other pangolin trafficking suspects is set to continue in the nearby Cullinan Regional Court on July 28.
In this case, the animal died in captivity.
Jansen has also been summoned to testify as he was also the agent in this case.
