Two Kruger Park Rangers Arrested for Alleged Rhino Poaching

Two of the very people who are meant to be protecting South Africa’s rhino have been arrested for poaching, allegedly captured in possession of four horns.

South African National Parks (SANParks) has today confirmed the arrest of two of their Kruger National Park field rangers from the Nwanedzi Ranger Section.

This is the latest in a spate of arrests in the Kruger, confirming the recent United Nations report that corrupt officials are at the heart of wildlife crime (rather than terrorist groups or tribal huntsmen), and that sometimes it is tragicallly the armed wildlife officials who are meant to be protecting the species who are actually killing it.

In a press release today, SANParks revealed that the latest two suspects were arrested on Saturday, 18 June 2016, for alleged involvement in rhino poaching activities. According to unconfirmed reports the men had four rhino horn in their possession.

SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni said: “The arrest of the two Field Rangers was the culmination of an extensive follow up operation conducted after a poached rhino carcass, with horns removed, was located by the Nwanedzi rangers on the 16th June.

“The two suspected Field Rangers were detained at the Skukuza Police Station pending further investigations and appeared in Court today.”

This arrest follows closely on the suspension of two Field Rangers attached to the Special Operations unit in Skukuza on 8 June 2016 and the arrest of a Field Ranger based at Satara, as well as a Technical Services supervisor based at Skukuza, on 9 June 2016.

Mketeni said: “The suspensions and arrests are the result of on-going investigations by SANParks into rhino poaching activities in the KNP, and we therefore would like to congratulate the KNP Rangers, SANParks Environmental Crime Investigation (ECI) unit and South African Police Service for doing a good job and remind them that this is a battle we cannot afford to lose, we need to fight for our heritage.”

As reported before on SAPeople, Jamie Joseph from Saving the Wild is on a mission to bring a stop to poaching by exposing corruption within the South African system. She has managed to convince South Africa’s Public Protector Thuli Madonsela to conduct a preliminary investigation into her corruption findings.

Jamie’s campaign to get alleged rhino kingpin Dumisani Gwala is well documented. Tomorrow she appears poised to unveil another suspected official (see image above).

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