NPA WELCOMES 10-YEAR PRISON SENTENCES FOR FORMER RANGER AND VETERINARIAN IN KRUGER RHINO POACHING CASE

MBOMBELA – The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomes the conviction and sentencing of former field ranger Rodney Landela (44) and Animal Health Technician Kenneth Mochocho (49), who were each sentenced to an effective 10 years’ direct imprisonment by the Skukuza Regional Court for the unlawful killing of a rhino and possession of a firearm with intent to commit an offence in the Kruger National Park.

The convictions stem from an incident on 27 July 2016 in the Kingfisherspruit Section of the park.

Evidence before the court revealed that, on 26 July 2016, Landela approved a duty roster showing that only three field rangers would be on duty the following day, while the remaining rangers were given time off because it was month-end. When they received the roster, the three rangers noticed that Block 37 had been excluded from the patrol plan. They were concerned because a rhino had been poached in the same block during the previous month-end period, when many rangers were also off duty.

Concerned by the omission, the rangers independently decided to patrol Block 37 on the morning of 27 July 2016, without informing Landela.

At about 05h00, two rangers were conducting a foot patrol while a third was patrolling in a vehicle. Shortly afterwards, the two rangers heard three gunshots and rushed towards the source. They saw two men running towards a parked Toyota bakkie. The rangers alerted their colleague by radio and instructed him to block the vehicle’s route.

The bakkie was stopped about 300 metres from the scene. It belonged to Mochocho, who was employed as an animal health technician in the Kruger National Park, and Landela was travelling as a passenger. Although all field rangers, including Landela, were equipped with two-way radios, Landela insisted that Mochocho drive away to find cellphone reception so he could contact a manager.

The two rangers who had responded to the gunshots immediately instructed that the vehicle be pursued. Off-duty rangers joined the search, and the vehicle was later found making a U-turn.

The accused were escorted back to the scene, where rangers found a freshly killed rhino, still bleeding, with one horn removed. Further searches in the area where Mochocho’s vehicle had turned around led to the discovery of Landela’s firearm, an axe and the rhino horn.

Both accused were arrested and later released on bail. During the trial, they pleaded not guilty and claimed they had been framed by fellow rangers.

State Prosecutor Lot Mgiba presented evidence linking the accused to the crime. Rangers who heard the gunshots and apprehended the accused testified before the court. A tracking expert also confirmed that the accused’s vehicle had remained at the crime scene for more than 45 minutes before the rhino was killed.

DNA evidence established that the horn recovered alongside Landela’s firearm came from the poached rhino. Forensic evidence also linked blood found on the accused’s clothing to the same rhino, while ballistic testing confirmed that cartridge cases recovered at the scene had been fired from Landela’s firearm.

The court found both accused guilty and sentenced each to 10 years’ direct imprisonment for the unlawful killing of a rhino and two years’ imprisonment for possession of a firearm with intent to commit an offence. The firearm-related sentences were ordered to run concurrently with the sentences for rhino poaching, resulting in an effective sentence of 10 years’ direct imprisonment for each accused. Both were also declared unfit to possess firearms.

The NPA welcomes the outcome, which u demonstrates the criminal justice system’s commitment to protecting South Africa’s wildlife heritage and holding environmental criminals accountable.

Rhino poaching remains a serious threat to the country’s biodiversity and conservation efforts. This successful prosecution sends a strong message that people who abuse positions of trust to facilitate wildlife crime will be identified, prosecuted and punished.

Monica Nyuswa

NPA Regional Spokesperson

DPP Mpumalanga