Africa Wild

KZN park director, game ranger and municipal employee in court over R100m fraud
21 December 2021 - 09:52
Nivashni Nair Senior reporter
The trio was arrested in a undercover sting operation conducted by the SA Police Service Cold Case unit and the Directorate for Public Prosecution in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.

An iSimangaliso Wetland Park director, a game ranger and a building capacity manager employed by the St Lucia municipality appeared in the Empangeni magistrate's court on Monday on charges relating to fraud, corruption, theft and racketeering involving R100m.

Caiphus Khumalo, Nkosinathi Victor Ntshangase and Nokuthula Lafuleni-Zungu were arrested in an undercover sting operation conducted by the SA Police Service cold case unit and the director of public prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.


“Investigations revealed that some of the suspects were allegedly demanding money from various service providers that were contracted to do work for the St Lucia municipality in Mtubatuba,” said police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo.

“It was further established that money was paid into accounts linked to at least three suspects.”

The trio were remanded for a formal bail application, to be heard on December 19.

“Further arrests are imminent as investigations are continuing,” added Naidoo.

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iSimangaliso’s reaction to the arrest of its officials

The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority (iSimangaliso) has learned with shock of the arrest of two of its officials on allegations of corruption and extortion, as per the charge sheet. iSimangaliso has managed to source information from the lawyers for the accused, who have confirmed that the case number in respect of the above allegation is DCA381/21.

It is imperative that iSimangaliso corrects distorted facts erroneously published, and currently circulating on the media platforms.

We wish to clarify the following issues:

• According to the charge sheet, the accused is charged for an estimated amount of R600 000 – not R100 million, as was alleged in the media reports.

• There are two charges levelled against the accused, which can be summed up as follows: corruption (accepting a benefit), and extortion (through inducing fear or subjecting a service provider to become fearful).

• iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority is not a municipality but a public entity –reporting to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.

• Only two of the three mentioned officials are the employees of iSimangaliso, Mr Caiphus Khumalo and Ms Nonku Lafuleni-Zungu.
  The earlier information erroneously published in media reports was not verified with iSimangaliso before publishing.

iSimangaliso is a proponent of clean governance, and is against any form of corruption. It has a code of conduct, which will be implemented accordingly.

We have full faith in our justice system, and further subscribe to the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.

iSimangaliso shall keep the public informed of all developments regarding its operations following these arrests.

For more information on the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, visit our website at isimangaliso.com. Media enquiries should be directed to Bheki Manzini 060 533 2082 or bhekimanzini@isimangaliso.com.

Ja so what? Clean up your act!

KZN man killed by buffalo while ‘hunting’ it
26 March 2024 - 16:40
Sakhiseni Nxumalo Reporter
A KwaZulu-Natal man was killed by a buffalo during 'a hunt' in KwaZulu-Natal. File photo.


A KwaZulu-Natal man was killed by a buffalo during “a hunt” after it escaped from the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP) near the Mashiya gate on Sunday.

Ezemvelo CEO Sihle Mkhize confirmed the incident on Tuesday. He said reports had been received of a buffalo seen outside HiP on Sunday morning.

Mkhize said as inclement weather prevented the helicopter from taking off, the community decided to hunt the buffalo.

He said field rangers stationed at Siqwashi outpost heard a gunshot outside HiP. When they responded, they found a group of people gathered around the body of a man. The man was killed by the buffalo.

“I want to express our profound sadness over the loss of one of our community members. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with living near wildlife, despite our best efforts to ensure safety measures are in place.

"At HiP the safety and wellbeing of our visitors and surrounding communities are our top priorities. We have robust protocols in place to minimise potential risks and ensure the protection of both humans and wildlife. However, nature can be unpredictable and tragic events remind us of the need for constant vigilance and ongoing efforts to enhance safety measures.”

Mkhize said they are cooperating fully with local authorities and conducting a thorough investigation to understand the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.

He said their team is committed to learning from the experience and implementing any necessary changes to prevent similar incidents.

“We understand this tragedy has deeply affected our community, and we are here to offer our support and assistance in any way we can,” said Mkhize

He appealed to all communities adjacent to Ezemvelo protected areas to reflect on the importance of co-existing harmoniously with the natural world around them.

Mkhize said it was too early to speculate how the buffalo might have escaped from HiP.

Ezemvelo has been dealing with poachers who cut the fence to access HiP.

Mkhize said they had to employ fence liners who patrol the fence every day. Unfortunately, he said, they cannot be everywhere at the same time.

“HiP deals with between three to five fence cutting incidents on a monthly basis.”

A community activist from the area did not respond to queries.

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A buffalo is not a cow, especially if it gets angry.