Rietvlei Nature Reserve

The Rietvlei Nature Reserve in Pretoria is now open.
Photo: Flickr

Hefty sentence for 23-year-old undocumented Mozambican poacher

A 23-year-old poacher from Mozambique was sentenced after pleading guilty to various crimes including contravention of the Immigration Act.

Rietvlei Nature Reserve

The Rietvlei Nature Reserve in Pretoria is now open.
Photo: Flickr

A 23-year-old poacher has been sentenced by the Skukuza Regional Court for various charges levelled against him. 

Rich Ricardo Chauke was sentenced on Friday, 01 April 2022 after his guilty plea to the charges. 

POACHER DEALT WITH BY THE COURT 

According to police, the sentence stems from an incident in which the accused, together with his two accomplices went for poaching at the Kruger National Park on 09 April 2021 and they illegally entered through the Houtboschrand Section of the park.

It is said that on the said day, the field rangers who were on duty were busy patrolling when they noticed some footprints on the tarred road at Houtboschrand Section of the park which alerted them that there were some intruders. 

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said with the assistance of a tracking dog, the rangers began looking for their targets (intruders) whereby the three were hiding in a thick bush. 

“Two of the intruders unfortunately fled however Chauke was caught by the rangers and he was found in possession of a .458 Win Mag bolt action rifle with no serial numbers, two cartridges of the said rifle, as well as three backpacks and an axe.

“Police at Skukuza were notified about the incident and upon their arrival the accused was arrested and charged for trespassing, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon, and after police determined that the accused was originally from the country of Mozambique and was in South Africa illegally, a charge of contravention of the Immigration Act was added against him.” 

Brigadier Selvy Mohlala

After pleading guilty, the court reportedly sentenced him as follows:

  • On the count of trespassing, the accused was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment
  • For contravention of the Immigration Act, he was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment meanwhile
  • For possession of unlicensed firearm, the accused was slapped with 6 years imprisonment. 
  • For possession of unlicensed ammunition, the accused was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment whilst for possession of a dangerous weapon, he was sentenced to 1 year imprisonment. 
  • In addition, the accused was declared unfit to possess a firearm. He will then be incarcerated for an effective 9 years.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga Lieutenant General Daphney Manamela appreciated the collaboration that existed amongst the stakeholders, including the field rangers, the investigation  team, the Prosecution Team and the Judiciary which collectively culminated into the desired results. 

“We hope that the sentence will serve as a deterrent and that people will begin to understand the importance of preserving and protecting nature as well as the endangered species even for the next generation” Manamela said. 

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