Rhino Poaching: Arrests, Prosecutions & Sentencing

[Flutterby]

[Toko]

#PoachersUpdate: 04/08/2014 - #TshokwaneRangers backed up by K9 and air support made contact with a group of 3 suspected rhino poachers. All 3 suspects have been arrested, one of whom was wounded. A 375 rifle, ammo and poaching related equipment were recovered during the incident.

https://www.facebook.com/South.African. ... n=timeline

[Lisbeth]

[Richprins]

[Richprins]

Nwanetsi Rhino Poaching sentence postponed

The trial of two Mozambique nationals who are accused of rhino poaching will continue next week after a verdict has not be reached.

Wouter Pienaar | 8 August 2014 16:00



MBOMBELA – The trial of two Mozambique nationals who are accused of rhino poaching will continue next week after a verdict has not be reached.

They are on trial for an incident on January 19 last year.

The accused poachers had been spotted and apprehended by a SANParks ranger and his dog named Killer, after a carcass was found in Nwanetsi in the Kruger National Park. The state’s two new witnesses took to the stand and were cross-examined.

State prosecutor Adv Isabet Erwee asked the first witness, a SANParks pilot, about his involvement in the case, the conditions for flying and how long he had used the helicopter to track down the men. According to the pilot, he saw rhino horns in one of the bags found on the scene of a slaughtered rhino in Tshokwane. Shortly afterwards he received a call from rangers that they had nabbed poachers in Nwanetsi.

According to the defence, the accused believed that these horns had been planted to implicate them of a crime they had not committed.

The defence emphasised that they had been found with bags that only had food and a jacket inside and that the horns came into their possession through means of the SANParks helicopter.

One of the eyewitnesses, who also flew with the pilot, mentioned that the helicopter was used to assist the rangers in their search for a believed third suspect and could not carry the rhino horns as it would put too much weight on the chopper.

“There were no rhino horns brought onto the helicopter,” he said. “The horns also have an oblong shape, which in my opinion points to a white rhino,” he added.

According to both witnesses, a firearm and an axe were also found on the scene.

The trial has been postponed to August 11 for cross-examination of Killer’s handler.



http://lowvelder.co.za/212291/nwanetsi- ... postponed/

[Duke]

SADC hot pursuit more gentleman’s agreement than legal arrangement

The hot pursuit system currently in use by the SA Police Service appears to be more of a “gentlemen’s agreement” than anything else, Democratic Alliance shadow deputy environmental affairs minister Terri Stander maintains following a parliamentary committee meeting on Tuesday.

“It appears a gentlemen’s agreement, a kind of verbal agreement, exists among SADC (Southern African Development Community) members that when suspects cross borders contact first has to be made with law enforcement across the border to get an escort to conduct their pursuit or investigation. There have been calls for formalisation of this and it has apparently been escalated to a SADC sub-committee. Such a formal agreement will outline the protocols for cross border operations,” she told defenceWeb.

Formalisation of the current arrangement could be read into the response of Lieutenant General Solomon Makgale, head of SA Police Service (SAPS) corporate communication, to a defenceWeb enquiry about hot pursuit of rhino poaching suspects.

“It is anticipated the legal sub-committee of SARPCCO (Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation) will discuss this matter during the meeting scheduled to take place next month (September) in Lesotho in order to come up with formal agreement,” he said.

Stander is adamant it is “irresponsible” to refer to a gentleman’s agreement on cross border crime combatting as a hot pursuit agreement.

“True hot pursuit would need a formal, clearly defined written agreement to prevent misinterpretation as insurgency and the potential to lead to war. The alternative also holds good: that true insurgency cannot be veiled as hot pursuit.

“As I see it the current activities cannot be deemed hot pursuit and it is misleading for the National Police Commissioner (Riah Phiyega) to allege so. Perhaps cross-border co-operation is taking place regularly, but it cannot be classified as hot pursuit,” she said.

Stander wants a formal hot pursuit agreement and extradition treaty between Mozambique and South Africa “negotiated by the SADC legal sub-committee or bilaterally between the two countries”.

“This will not form part of any memorandum of understanding as it is said (by Environment Affairs director general Nosipho Ngcaba) this is ‘by nature a high level, non-specific agreement’ and does not deal with such matters (extradition) under the ambit of co-operation in conservation.”

Makgale said there were “no statistics” available on hot pursuit or cross-border operations targeting suspected rhino poachers because such incidents took place “on a day to day basis as the need arises”.

The newest Department of Environment Affairs statistics show 69 arrests have been made in connection with rhino poaching in Kruger this year. Nationally police, SANParks rangers and SA Army soldiers had arrested 172 suspects by the end of July, seven more than in the 12 months of 2010.

An indication of the seriousness of the rhino poaching problem, particularly in South Africa’s internationally renowned Kruger National Park, comes from retired army general Johan Jooste. The retired soldier with 35 years in uniform to his name and now Commanding Officer: Special Projects for SANParks is on record as saying “we are fighting a war”.

He told Travel 24’s Scott Ramsay: “Mozambicans are making regular armed incursions into South Africa, our sovereign country, plundering our resources and leaving. To me that’s an act of war”.

[Lisbeth]

At least it seems that finally the rhinos and their destiny has become a hot subject

[H. erectus]

To me that’s an act of war

With all due respect to Gen. Jooste and I do admire
his taking up arms to protect heritage, world heritage!!

However we cannot compare or even level at war like
circumstance, if only, for such a stance would be more
pertinent!!

It is a scourge we are facing and needs to be addressed
in that manner!!!!

[H. erectus]

This scourge can even be compared to other deseases
that seem to float around!!!!

Inject it and kill it!!!! Kill the attitude of low level life!!!

[Richprins]

This "cross-border freedom" has not been approved, as said. The Minister's statement was premature.