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Eyewitnessnews

Rhino poaching syndicate back in court
Alex Eliseev | 4 hours ago

"JOHANNESBURG - A Kempton Park court is due to rule on Tuesday whether suspected rhino horn smuggler Chumlong Lemtongthai, will be allowed to change his guilty plea and retract confessions he made earlier in the trial.

Lemtongthai and four others are on trial for allegedly running a syndicate which abused hunting permits to shoot rhinos, and smuggle the horns overseas.

The suspects apparently used prostitutes to pose as hunters.
The trial was due to start on Monday, but a series of problems led to it being rolled over.
Harry Claassens, a professional hunter who was arrested last, will on Tuesday launch an application to further delay the trial so he could prepare for it.

Lawyer for one of the other accused, Alwyn Griebenow, said Claassens application will be opposed.

“We see this as a delay in the case, and as a result we’re going to give the court certain alternatives,” Griebenow said.

Claassens was arrested less than a month ago and only received the police docket last week." (Edited by Thato Motaung)

We want justice for the rhinos: Activists

Several animal rights activists crammed into the Pretoria North Regional Court where two veterinarians and a professional hunter appeared on Wednesday.

13 June 2012 | Sapa


PRETORIA - The accused are among eight people arrested last year on charges relating to the possession and distribution of a tranquillising drug commonly used by rhino poachers.

Charges against five of the suspects were withdrawn in April, reportedly because of insufficient evidence.

The three accused include Dr Douw Grobler, an animal conservation expert and formerly head of wildlife capturing and veterinary services at the Kruger National Park.

He was charged together with private vet Dr Johannes Gerhardus Kruger, and professional hunter and animal farmer Hugo Ras.

It is alleged that the group contributed to rhino poaching by supplying a poaching syndicate with tranquillisers. The M99 drug, also called etorphine, was allegedly used to dart rhinos to enable the removal of their horns.

The matter was postponed to June 19.

Activists said they would closely follow the case until its conclusion.

Pretoria-based animal rights group -- Outraged SA Citizens Against Poaching (OSCAP) -- said government had to urgently improve awareness of poaching.

"Much of the awareness has now been left up to the NPOs (non-profit organisations) at the moment. We expect government to hold constant, massive awareness campaigns to communicate the problem," said OSCAP Director Allison Thomson.

"They need to speak to all their counterparts (benefiting from rhino poaching). We want government to talk to its partners, like China and others."

Demand for rhino horns in Asian countries, particularly Vietnam, has often been blamed as the root cause for the poaching frenzy in South Africa and other African countries.

Initially, Grobler, Kruger, and Ras were charged together with Dr Buti Chibase, a state vet from Klerksdorp.

In March, they appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate's Court with four others -- Matthys Christoffel Scheepers, Riaal Booysen, Johan Carl Heydenrych, and Christoffel Francois Naudé.

It is alleged Ras was arrested after five crates of the scheduled veterinary medicines were confiscated during a police raid on his home.

In February, Boksburg vet Dr Johan Hendrik Meyer was found guilty of unprofessional conduct after he dispensed 26 bottles of M99.

Meyer was fined R25,000 by the South African Veterinary Council. He was also given a six-month suspension, which was set aside for 10 years on condition that he did not commit a similar crime again.

R25 000 is a joke!

Jail terms are the only effective punishment!

Richprins wrote:R25 000 is a joke!

Jail terms are the only effective punishment!

And loooonnng enough terms.

Two Rhino poachers ... EDDIE NKOSI AND RALPH MALEMBE who were released on bail last year after being arrested for poaching... were arrested AGAIN THIS WEEKEND FOR ATTEMPTED POACHING in the KRUGER NATIONAL PARK near Crocodile Bridge.
Sources say that they were first in the area of John Hume's farm; MAURICEDALE where they were going to poach a BLACK RHINO, but were advised against poaching there.... and moved on to the CROCODILE BRIDGE AREA... THEY WANTED TO POACH A BLACK RHINO SPECIFICALLY.
Included in the arrest of these two (previously on bail for poaching) were another two poachers who were in the gang.
They were arrested in possession of a 375 Rifle which was fitted with a silencer.
... The first two were going to appear in court next month for the first poaching charges.
They will now all appear in the MALALANE MAGISTRATES COURT for a bail application tomorrow... 19th June 2012....

Let's hope they don't get bail again!!!!

Seems that rehabilitation was a full success... NOT!

This is not good news...I will be in Malelane tomorrow seeing clients and will have to restrain myself from going to the court.

Heard that a poacher found guilty of poaching 2 rhinos was sentenced to 10/rhino - meaning 20 years in jail for the ....... When he will be eligible for parole I am not sure, but at least the original sentence is more than a slap on the wrist.

Here's hoping he spends all 20years in Pretoria Central

2012-07-04 11:39

Johannesburg - A Thabazimbi game farmer has been sentenced to eight years' imprisonment by the Makhado Magistrate's Court for illegal possession of 30 rhino horns, Beeld newspaper reported on Wednesday.

On Monday, Magistrate Pat Cloete turned down a request for leave to appeal by Jacques Els, 39, and also refused to extend his bail pending an appeal against the sentence in the North Gauteng High Court.

Els was released on bail of R300 000 after being sentenced in March.

Defence counsel Tom Dreyer told the newspaper Els was taken into custody after the court proceedings on Monday.

He was preparing an urgent High Court application for the extension of bail for Els, who intended appealing against the sentence, he said.

As part of his punishment, Els was required to pay R1m to the Green Scorpions.

Beeld reported that he was arrested in October 2010, after buying 30 rhino horns for R760 000 from Tommy Fourie, a manager at the Maremani game farm outside Musina.

Fourie committed suicide in November 2010.

According to the newspaper, senior State prosecutor Andre Weideman said Els was not involved with the killing of the rhino, as all the animals concerned had been anaesthetised and dehorned.