Rhino Poaching: Arrests, Prosecutions & Sentencing

[Richprins]

WATCH: Joseph ‘Big Joe’ Nyalungu remanded in custody

‘Big Joe’ was caught with explosives commonly used in the commission of cash-in-transit heists.
6 hours ago
Lowvelder


Joseph Nyalungu. > Photo: Supplied

Disgraced former Komatipoort policeman, alleged rhino poaching kingpin and murder accused Joseph Nyalungu was once again arrested on Tuesday, October 15.

This time, the man colloquially known as ‘Big Joe’, who is now in his 60s, was caught with explosives commonly used in the commission of cash-in-transit heists. The operation, in which the SAPS’s elite National Intervention Unit pounced on Nyalungu’s workshop in Hazyview, follows a meticulous investigation by the Hawks.

Nyalungu was allegedly found in possession of two sticks of dynamite, two detonators, two chords and three rounds of 458 ammunition.

Nyalungu spent Tuesday night behind bars, after which he appeared in the Calcutta Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, October 16.

He has been remanded in custody pending his next court appearance in the same court on Friday, October 18.

He is no stranger to the inside of a courtroom, as he currently faces a raft of charges in a series of court cases, relating to rhino poaching, murder, racketeering, theft, tax evasion, money laundering and corruption, among others. The unlawful possession of explosives and ammunition this week is the latest to be added to this already sizeable list.

Lowvelder will update its readers on lowvelder.co.za as the case unfolds.

https://www.citizen.co.za/lowvelder/new ... OdBVFQWzBw

[Lisbeth]

This time I hope that they will keep him dressed in Orange inside the walls!

[Richprins]

Three men on way to poach rhino in Eastern Cape get 12 years each

By Ernest Mabuza - 29 October 2024 - 20:10


The high court in Makhanda on Tuesday sentenced three foreigners to 12 years’ imprisonment each after they were convicted of conspiracy to poach rhino horns, unlawful firearm and ammunition possession, and unlawfully entering South Africa.

On July 31 2018, Kenneth Chigaweni, 36, Thomas Joao Machele, 53, and Amos Ncube, 44, travelled from Gqeberha carrying an unlicensed firearm and various equipment with the intent to poach rhinos and remove their horns at the Ezulu Game Reserve between Bedford and Makhanda.

None of the accused had a licence to possess the firearm. The three were intercepted during a routine roadblock on the R63 near Bedford, where police discovered a concealed hunting rifle wrapped in a cloth behind the driver’s seat.

“Additional tools, including a silencer, ammunition, hunting knife, saw, axe, slasher, torch and tinfoil, were found in the vehicle’s boot, alongside multiple mobile phones.

“The equipment matched what would be required to poach rhinos and remove their horns,” National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Luxolo Tyali said.

He said Eastern Cape game reserves, such as those in Makhanda and Bedford, were home to significant rhino populations, which had been severely affected by poaching.

“Authorities alleged that Chigaweni, Machele, and Ncube were part of a co-ordinated group aiming to kill rhinos and sell their horns on the black market.”

The three men pleaded not guilty.

“Johannes Coetzee, for the state, led the evidence of police officers who conducted the roadblock where the accused were apprehended, establishing the accused’s involvement in the poaching scheme.”

Each man was sentenced to 12 years for conspiracy to commit theft of rhino horns, eight years for conspiracy to engage in restricted activities involving rhinos and seven years for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.

“Additionally, Machele and Ncube received an extra three years for unlawfully entering and remaining in South Africa.”

All sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 12 years for each accused.

Eastern Cape director of public prosecutions Barry Madolo said the sentences highlighted the seriousness with which courts regarded wildlife crimes and sent a clear message that poaching and its associated crimes would not be tolerated in South Africa.

“We remain committed to protecting our endangered species and holding accountable those who threaten our natural heritage for personal gain,” Madolo said.

TimesLIVE

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2024 ... ears-each/

[Lisbeth]

They have waited six years for a sentence! However criminal their behaviour, it is not human I suppose that they have been in jail, if not they would have disappeared.

These articles never tell the story and one always remains with lots of ???

[Richprins]

Police arrest three suspected rhino poachers armed with a hunting rifle, pistol and ammo

By TIMESLIVE - 21 November 2024 - 14:36
Police found a disassembled hunting rifle with a silencer and seven rounds of ammunition after arresting three suspected rhino poachers.

Three suspected rhino poachers are expected in court after their arrest in northern KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday.

Police spokesperson Col Robert Netshiunda said they were arrested in Pongola shortly after midnight as part of Operation Vala Umgodi.

“Police collected intelligence about the three suspects who were travelling from Hluhluwe to a game farm in Magudu area where they were reportedly going to poach rhinos. An operation was put in motion and the suspects’ vehicle was intercepted on the R66 Road in the Pongola policing precinct,” he said.

“During the search, police found a disassembled hunting rifle with a silencer and seven rounds of ammunition. A licensed pistol was also found in the possession of the suspects.”

The suspects aged between 33 and 40 years old will appear in the Pongola magistrate's court on charges of possession a prohibited firearm. The possibility of more charges being added cannot be ruled out.

TimesLIVE

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2024 ... e_vignette

[Lisbeth]