Rodney Landela and Kenneth Mochocho.
Former Kruger National Park field ranger Rodney Landela, 44, and veterinarian Kenneth Mochocho, 49, have each been sentenced to an effective 10 years’ direct imprisonment for rhino poaching after denying the charges and claiming they had been framed by fellow rangers. The duo were sentenced on October 16.
The Skukuza Regional Court convicted and sentenced the pair for the unlawful killing of a rhino and possession of a firearm with intent to commit an offence following a 2016 incident in the Kingfisherspruit Section of the park.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) welcomed the outcome, saying the prosecution demonstrated the criminal justice system’s commitment to protecting South Africa’s wildlife.
The incident occurred on July 27, 2016, after concerns arose over a patrol roster that excluded Block 37, where a rhino had been poached during the previous month-end period.
Evidence presented in court revealed that Landela had approved a duty roster on July 26, leaving only three field rangers on duty the following day while others were given time off.
Concerned about the omission, three rangers independently decided to patrol the block.
At about 05:00, two rangers heard three gunshots while conducting a foot patrol and rushed towards the sound. They saw two men running towards a parked Toyota bakkie and alerted their colleague, who helped stop the vehicle.
The bakkie belonged to Mochocho, with Landela travelling as a passenger. Despite being equipped with two-way radios, Landela insisted they drive away to find cellphone reception to contact a manager.
The accused were later apprehended and escorted back to the scene, where rangers discovered a freshly killed rhino with one horn removed.
Further searches uncovered Landela’s firearm, an axe and the rhino horn.
State prosecutor Lot Mgiba presented evidence linking both men to the crime. A tracking expert testified that their vehicle had remained at the scene for more than 45 minutes before the rhino was killed.
DNA evidence linked the recovered horn and blood on the accused’s clothing to the rhino, while ballistic testing connected cartridge cases found at the scene to Landela’s firearm.
The court sentenced each man to 10 years for rhino poaching and two years for the firearm offence, with the latter sentence running concurrently. Both were declared unfit to possess firearms.
The NPA said the convictions send a strong message that wildlife crime will be prosecuted.
