Durban — The Germiston Regional Court recently sentenced a man who was arrested while travelling from KwaZulu-Natal to Johannesburg with two freshly extracted rhino horns.
Hawks spokesperson in Gauteng, Captain Lloyd Ramovha, said that Armand Amosse Chingo, 33, would serve five years’ direct imprisonment after he was caught transporting rhino horns to Johannesburg in June 2022.
Ramovha said that the arrest originated from intelligence gathered about a silver Toyota bakkie travelling from KZN to Gauteng with concealed rhino horns. The vehicle was spotted and stopped in Primrose area near Germiston.
He said that the resultant search uncovered two freshly extracted rhino horns under a seat. Both accused were immediately apprehended and charged with contravention of the National Environment Management Biodiversity (Nemba) Act. They made a series of court appearances until recently, when only Chingo was sentenced.
“On February 1, 2023, the Germiston Regional Court sentenced Chingo to seven years’ imprisonment of which two years were suspended,” Ramovha said.
Another accomplice was arrested alongside Chingo in June 2022 and was expected to return to court following their arrest.
Ramovha said that authorities intercepted the identified vehicle, a silver Toyota Fortuner, with two occupants aged 39 and 48 in the East of Johannesburg. Upon searching the vehicle, the police found two pieces of rhino horns concealed in the front part of the vehicle and more than R5 000 in cash was found.
The suspects were both charged for dealing in rhino horns thereby contravening the Nemba Act.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DFFE) has reported that relentless pressure has forced rhino poachers to abandon parks in 2022.
That was according to DFFE Minister Barbara Creecy, who said that South Africa’s relentless fight against rhino poaching in the Kruger Park and other national parks saw a decline in poaching numbers across the country.
She said that in 2022, 124 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park. No rhinos were poached in any other national park. The number of rhinos poached in the Kruger National Park represents a 40% decrease compared with those killed for their horn in 2021.
However, she said that the poaching threat moved to KZN, which lost 244 rhinos to poaching last year. Of these, 228 were killed in provincial parks and 16 in privately owned reserves. The Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park was specifically targeted.
In total, across the country, private rhino owners lost 86 rhinos. The number of rhinos killed in the past year represents a slight decline (of three) compared with the 451 rhinos poached in South Africa in 2021.
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