Two former conservation officials have been sentenced to ten years behind bars for killing a white rhino inside Kruger National Park, betraying positions of trust.
The Skukuza Regional Court sentenced former Kruger National Park Regional Ranger Rodney Landela and former State Veterinary Service Animal Health Technician Kenneth Mochocho following an incident dating back to July 2016.
The pair were convicted of illegally hunting and killing a white rhino in a protected area, as well as possessing a firearm with the intention of committing a crime.
They received ten years’ imprisonment on the main count of illegal hunting and killing the rhino and four years for the firearm offence.
The sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective ten-year prison term. According to South African National Parks (SANParks), there is no parole option.
The magistrate also declared both men unfit to possess firearms.
SANParks welcomed the sentence, saying the case was particularly serious because both men held positions in which they were entrusted with protecting South Africa’s wildlife.
Instead, the organisation said, they abused those positions to participate in the very crime they were expected to help prevent.
“The organisation views the matter as particularly serious because both individuals were entrusted with protecting South Africa’s wildlife but instead abused their positions of trust to commit a wildlife crime,” SANParks said.
The organisation also welcomed the court’s recognition of the misuse of an official state-issued firearm and what it described as the deliberate nature of the crime.
“SANParks commends the court for recognising the gravity of the offence, including the misuse of an official state-issued firearm and the deliberate nature of the crime.”
It argued that a fine or non-custodial sentence would not have adequately reflected the seriousness of offences it said were motivated by greed rather than need.
The case could also have financial consequences for the convicted men.
SANParks welcomed the involvement of the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit, which is seeking declarations relating to the assets of the two convicted individuals.
The prosecution and sentencing come amid South Africa’s continuing efforts to protect its rhino population from poaching and organised wildlife crime.
Beyond the killing of an individual animal, the case highlights another challenge facing conservation authorities: the damage caused when people entrusted with protecting wildlife use their positions, knowledge or access to facilitate environmental crime.
SANParks said the sentence sends a strong message that rhino poaching and the betrayal of public trust by conservation officials will not be tolerated.
It added that those who undermine efforts to protect South Africa’s natural heritage should expect serious consequences.
