Suspects to appear for possession, dealing or handling of game unlawfully poached

NELSPRUIT – Three men aged between 31 and 44, are expected to appear before the Graskop Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, for possession, dealing or handling of game suspected to have been unlawfully hunted or poached.

Their appearance comes after they were arrested in the early hours of Friday, 16 August 2019, along the R532 road between Graskop and Bushbuckridge. On that morning, security guards were patrolling around the timber plantation in that area when they spotted a white bakkie loaded with what looked like dead animals. They(security guards) immediately called the police and upon arrival, the guards together with the police officers pursued and apprehended the suspects.

They (suspects) were found in possession of a 0.22 rifle, 144 live ammunition, a spotlight, 01 magazine and 17 dead wild animals that included an African Civet cat, 4 bushbucks, 1 common mountain bushbuck and 11 grey duikers.

All role players were summoned to the scene including officials from the Mpumalanga Parks Board Agency and the suspects were charged in terms of Section 10 of 1998 of the Mpumalanga Nature Conservation Act. The animals are suspected to have been poached around the Sudwala/ Lydenburg area.