Police arrested 36 suspects this past week for crimes related to rhino poaching.
National police spokesperson, Vishnu Naidoo, said that the arrests were made by the rhino 8 Task Team.
“The Rhino 8 Task Team has been relentless in its effort to bring the down scourge of rhino poaching in the country,particularly in the Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe Game Reserve,” he said.
Naidoo said that the task team, which comprises of various government departments including members from various disciplines of the South African Police Service, Customs and Excise, the South African National Defence Force, Ezemvelo and SANParks Game Rangers, continues to work tirelessly to stop the merciless slaughter and dehorning of rhinos as well as that of elephants.
“Since the beginning of October to date,some members of the task team were able to arrest the 36 suspects in the areas of Acornhoek, Calcutta, Hazyview, Elukwatiniand Skhukuza (Mpumalanga); Hluhluwe, Mtubatuba (kwaZulu-Natal)and Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa (Limpopo).”
“During these arrests the team also confiscated four motor vehicles including a VW Golf, a FordRanger Wildtrack, a Nissan Navara; 12 unlicensed firearms including rifles; a variety of ammunition, silencers, a hacksaw, axes, knives, 27 cellphones and three rhino horns as well an elephant tusk,” Naidoo said.
He said most of these suspects have since appeared in various courts on charges of unlawful possession of firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, possession of dangerous weapon/s, trespassing, hunting a protected animal, kidnapping,assault, possession of remains of a wild animal, in terms of the Immigration Act for either being illegally in the country/without proper documentation and/or possession of suspected stolen property.
“Despite a multitude of arrests by the Rhino 8 Task Team, there still seems to be greater persistence by suspects wanting to poach rhino. It is with hoped that the arrest of these 36 suspects would serve as a warning and deterrent to other potential poachers,” Naidoo said.
