Top KZN anti-poaching cop dismissed

IN a disturbing twist of events, the Investigating Officer in the Dumisani Gwala case has been fired on what he claims are ‘trumped-up charges’.

Warrant Officer JP van Zyl-Roux, who has almost three decades’ experience and dozens of poaching arrests to his name, cleared his office on Monday.
Two years ago Van Zyl-Roux was told he was under investigation for the alleged shooting of poachers.

At the time, Van Zyl-Roux’s lawyer, Jacques Botha, was reported as having said the poachers were all shot by members of a Special Task Force team, who were fired at by poachers when they were caught red-handed in a game reserve.

‘There was no case, my client did not shoot anyone dead. He once shot the gun out of the hand of one poacher and arrested the suspect.

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‘The matter went nowhere and it appears there was a decision not to prosecute,’ Botha was quoted as saying.

Botha said he believed the reason for his client’s problems was based ‘on the shooting of a poacher purportedly linked to a very high-ranking ANC politician’.

In March this year Van Zyl-Roux was served with a notice to appear before a disciplinary inquiry relating to allegations that he had failed to hand over a docket to anti-corruption unit investigators, that private firearms were found in his office and that his conduct had brought the SAPS into ‘disrepute and embarrassment’.

In spite of getting permission to represent his client at the hearing, Botha says he was dismissed after he read a plea statement in which he claimed the charges arose out of an ‘ulterior motive on the part of certain elements within the ranks of Van Zyl-Roux’s employer [SAPS], of which the ultimate aim is to either terminate or curtail his success with respect to anti-poaching and related corruption activities’.

The hearing chairperson ruled that the charges were not serious and thus Van Zyl-Roux was not entitled to private attorney representation.

‘My client’s allegations regarding a conspiracy are now substantiated. I placed it on record that he has obviously become a thorn in their sides.

The conviction and dismissal of my client is now a foregone conclusion,’ Botha then said in response.

In June Van Zyl-Roux was convicted on all charges, except the failure to hand over the docket, and dismissed.

Van Zyl-Roux intends taking his dismissal on appeal to the Public Service Bargaining Council and, if he loses there, to the Labour Court. This could take years.

Van Zyl-Roux and his team have been responsible for nabbing more than 70 rhino poachers – including alleged poaching kingpin Dumisani Gwala – for which they have received local and international recognition.

Gwala’s case has been controversially postponed 17 times already, raising rumours that deliberate interference is at play.