LIMPOPO – The five suspects arrested last week for alleged lion poaching appeared in Phalaborwa Magistrate’s Court yesterday (Monday) on a charge of contravening the laws governing the protection of specially protected wild animals.
The five men were found in possession of a lion head and were arrested on 2 February in Phalaborwa.
The police are still investigating the possibility that the recovered lion head might belong to one of the three lions that were decapitated and had their paws removed in Tzaneen during January this year (2017), said Spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
Oral Kubayi (46), Gilbert Mabunda (70), Lijawa Ngobeni (44), Zwelile Bvuma (26) and Titus Deane (48) have been remanded in custody and the case has been postponed to 13 February 2017 for a formal bail application.
3 February
LIMPOPO – Five suspects found in the possession of a lion’s head were arrested last night (Thursday) during a police operation in the Phalaborwa area.
After receiving a tip-off of people selling a lion’s head, police set a trap and within five hours five suspects, aged between 38 and 70 years-old, were nabbed, said Spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo.
One of the suspects is a Mozambican national the others are South African,” he added.
Mojapelo confirmed that police investigations to link the suspects to other incidents of illegal poaching of lions in the province continue.
The suspects will appear before the local court soon on the charge of illegal hunting of specially protected wild animals (lions).
Listen to the official police report below:
Read more:
Lions killed, dismembered outside Polokwane
Lions poisoned, head ad paws removed at Alldays Lodge
Manhunt for Limpopo lodge’s lion killers
