Rhino Poaching 2016

[Flutterby]

363 rhino poached!!!

[Alf]

That's 3 rhino's per day

[Richprins]

A very concerning story by Helene:




Rino poaching: Are the police failing our rhinos?


MBOMBELA – Each battle in the war on rhino poaching should ideally end in a courtroom. When the rangers have done their part and the culprits have been arrested, the implementation of justice lies with the police and the prosecution.

However, recent developments in the South African Police Service’s (SAPS) approach to rhino-poaching investigation complicates matters.

Rhino poaching has taken its toll on the Kruger National Park’s (KNP) game rangers and policemen since the pandemic raised its ugly head nine years ago.

In 2008, 83 rhinos were poached countrywide. Thirty-six of them were slaughtered in Kruger. Year after year, the numbers of rhinos brutally slaughtered for their horns increased at a staggering rate. Last year, a total of 1 175 rhinos were poached, 40 less than in 2014. The decrease was welcomed, but the situation was by no means less of a crisis.

Various stakeholders have played different roles in the fight against rhino poaching in the Kruger. The SANDF, SANParks rangers, Environmental Crime Investigation, Honorary Rangers, activist societies and, more recently, the park’s Majoc unit. This unit, led by Mr Nicholus Funda, has been implementing strategies to combat rhino poaching, resulting in a decline in poaching-related deaths.

According to KNP managing executive, Mr Glenn Phillips, 64 rhinos were poached in April this year, 24 fewer than the 88 poached in April, 2015. Although these parties have improved the situation to an extent, it is likely that a large number of poachers will remain active in the KNP for the foreseeable future. Once caught, these criminals cannot be shot or deported. The law dictates that they must be arrested and prosecuted. Successful prosecution is dependant on the work of the SAPS. On an administrative level, the Department of Justice also plays a large role.

Over the past two years, Lowvelder‘s court reporters have attended various KNP rhino-poaching court cases.

Testimony delivered under oath begged the question: When everyone has done their bit, can South Africa rely on the police to prepare court-ready dockets that will ensure that poachers are locked up?

Skukuza’s Police Station has faced many challenges in the past decade.

When poaching became a prevalent crime in 2008, the station’s handful of detectives conducted investigations in tandem with SANParks’ Environmental Crimes Investigations Unit.

However, in 2012 it was ordered that poaching cases would henceforth be investigated by the police’s organised crime unit.

In 2014, a task team was established to investigate rhino poaching.

The situation changed again in August 2015, when it was decided that policemen from Gauteng would be the ones to fight rhino poaching.

Since then, groups of policemen have been travelling to the KNP for weeks at a time for poaching-orientated crime prevention. Groups of up to 30 members rotate periodically. Whenever any of these members arrest suspects, cases are opened at Skukuza’s detective branch.

These hundreds of dockets become the responsibility of the branch’s three detectives. The task team members, who have become specialists in the investigation of rhino poaching, are relieved of the duty of further investigation.

On April 19, Lowvelder queried the police’s approach with Brig Vishnu Naidoo. Naidoo was asked whether the detectives as Skukuza SAPS were receiving support in handling this workload. He did not reply. In reaction to the statement that rangers’ efforts will only lead to success if the police’s house is in order, no reply was received.

“Do the police’s arrangements enable investigating officers to bring poachers to book?” the paper wanted to know.
On April 23, he replied via SMS: “Hi, I did not send anything because I was unable to get the answers to your questions. I am still awaiting the answers.”

In March, Lowvelder was informed of a new problem Kruger’s policemen were facing. Due to the province’s newly announced judicial demarcations, alleged poachers now appear in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate’s Court instead of the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court.

However, they are kept in custody in Mbombela. The park’s detectives are tasked with driving to Mbombela, collecting prisoners and driving them to Bushbuckridge, and back.
It was placed on record that this will negatively impact the administration of justice. This was put to Department of Justice spokesman, Advocate Micheal Masutha, who did not reply.

Lowvelder also confirmed that the department failed to announce the demarcations in the Government Gazette prior to the implementation thereof in January. The required announcement was Gazetted three months later on April 29.


http://lowvelder.co.za/332592/rino-poac ... ur-rhinos/

[Flutterby]

[Lisbeth]

This is crazy!!

[Alf]

It's typical SA

Another circus , another day

[Richprins]

People, this is a big problem, any ideas?

Helene has been working hard covering these cases for years!

[Lisbeth]

Ideas for what?

[Richprins]

Suggestions on how we may help!

[Lisbeth]

Help to do what? I still cannot read your mind