PICS: Suspected rhino poachers arrested in northern KZN

Published Jul 8, 2017

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Hluhluwe - Three suspected rhino poachers have been arrested near two national parks in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, police said on Saturday.

South African Police Service (SAPS) officers charged with combating rhino poaching "dealt another telling blow to the criminal element" when they arrested three suspected rhino poachers at about 8pm on Friday night, Lt-Col Katlego Mogale said. 

The team was acting on information received when they spotted a white Toyota double cab bakkie in the Mgwanwini area. The police stopped and searched it and found a high calibre hunting rifle, a silencer, ammunition, and an axe. The 44-year-old driver and his two passengers, aged 24 and 28, were arrested.

All three suspects would appear in the Hluhluwe Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. The SAPS had prioritised the killing and poaching of rhino and the team was commended for the arrest of the suspects, Mogale said.

Hluhluwe is a small town between the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park on the banks of the Hluhluwe River.

African News Agency

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