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One of the rhino poachers was killed by crocodiles while trying to escape arrest.
Picture: @RSA_CJS/ X page
A Mozambican national recently received one of the harshest sentences yet for wildlife crimes in South Africa.
The Skukuza Regional Court sentenced 38-year-old Silas Mathebula to 30 years of direct imprisonment after finding him guilty of multiple poaching-related offences committed in 2019, according to the Department of South African Justice, Crime Prevention and Security on Tuesday.
The conviction includes charges of trespassing, conspiracy to commit a crime, killing three rhinos, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm, possession of a hunting rifle, and possession of ammunition.
The case began on 23 November 2019, when vigilant conservation efforts led to a breakthrough.
A section ranger patrolling the Malelane section of Kruger National Park spotted a suspicious vehicle carrying five occupants.
The ranger discovered damning evidence following a search of the vehicle.
“The search revealed a rifle, six fresh rhino horns, and ammunition,” stated the Department of South African Justice, Crime Prevention and Security.
All five suspects — Zwelithini Mathebula, Lucky Mhlongo, Teddy Dlamini, Silas Mathebula, and Forster Lubisi — were immediately taken into custody.
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The case took several dramatic turns after the initial arrests.
The department revealed that Forster Lubisi met a tragic end while attempting to escape, killed by crocodiles during his flight.
Meanwhile, “Mathebula and another accused, Lucky Hlungwane, absconded after being granted bail”.
Mathebula’s freedom was short-lived.
He was rearrested while committing a similar offence in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal province.
Following his recapture, authorities transferred him to Skukuza, in Mpumalanga, to face trial for his original crimes.
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The department further revealed that during court proceedings, State Prosecutor Lot Mgiba presented an overwhelming case against Mathebula.
The evidence included testimony from the ranger who initially apprehended the suspect, sophisticated DNA analysis linking the rhino horns found in the vehicle to three poached rhinos, and ballistic evidence confirming that bullets recovered from the rhino carcasses matched the firearm found in the suspects’ possession.
The scientific and forensic evidence proved crucial in securing the conviction.
As part of his sentencing, the court declared Mathebula unfit to possess a firearm under section 103 of the Firearms Control Act 60 of 2000, further restricting his future activities upon eventual release.
The trial against the remaining three accused had proceeded separately, with all being convicted and sentenced by the same court.
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