Rhino poacher sentenced to 30 years in prison
Norman Khoza was found guilty of being an illegal immigrant, trespassing in the Kruger National Park, possession of unlicensed firearm and possession of unlicensed ammunition
A suspect was found guilty of seven counts of rhino poaching was sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Mhala Regional Court on August 7.
He was also found guilty of possession of a firearm with the intent to commit a crime, killing of two rhinos and possession of a dangerous weapon.
Khoza was arrested in the park in 2015.
Read: Nine poachers arrested at Sanparks in three days
The South African National Parks has expressed delight at the heavy sentence meted out by the court.
The CEO of Sanparks, Fundisile Mketeni has welcomed the sentence and congratulated all who ensured that the evidence presented to the court was convincing enough to guarantee a successful prosecution.
Also read: Male tourist dies at Kruger National Park
“The sentence will send a clear message to all criminals who are awaiting trial and those intending to plunder our natural heritage that their criminal acts will not go unpunished. This illustrates that the cooperation between Sanparks Rangers Corp, Environmental Crime Investigative Unit (ECI), South African Police Services and the National Prosecutions Agency is crucial in fighting the scourge of rhino poaching” said Mketeni.
There are still 182 poaching related cases that still need to be finalised. Sanparks hope that the courts will continue to mete out appropriate heavy sentences to send out a message that crime does not pay.
