‘Rhino three’ back behind bars in days
THREE men charged with poaching a valuable white rhino on a game farm near Grahamstown have been re-arrested after just two brief weeks of liberty – this time in connection with rhino poaching cases in Limpopo.
Jabulani Ndlovu, 39, Forget Ndlovu, 36, and Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu, 37 – who all stand charged with poaching a rhino on Bucklands Game Reserve near Grahamstown in June last year and harvesting its magnificent horn – were released in mid-May after a lengthy battle for bail which saw them awaiting trial behind bars for close to a year.
The Grahamstown regional court rejected their first bail bid last year, saying they were a flight risk, but high court Judge John Smith reversed this decision two weeks ago. He released the three men on R15 000 bail each and included strict bail conditions.
The three Ndlovu men – who are not related – arrived for a court appearance in Grahamstown yesterday morning. The brief appearance was to finalise matters before the case was referred to the Grahamstown High Court for trial, senior state advocate Buks Coetzee confirmed yesterday.
But, as they left the court police immediately arrested them on a separate warrant involving two rhino poaching cases in Hoedspruit in Limpopo province.
Their senior counsel, advocate Terry Price, cried foul at the latest arrests, claiming it “was nothing short of malicious”.
Their attorney, Alwyn Griebenow, agreed. “The court was aware there were outstanding warrants against them from Hoedspruit at the time bail was granted,” said Griebenow. “We were assured they would not act on [the arrest warrants] until the Grahamstown court case was finalised.”
The state had said in the bail hearing it was still investigating the possibility that the three men were linked to dozens of other poaching cases with a view to a single consolidated trial instead of several trials across the country.
Police have alleged the men are likely part of a sophisticated poaching syndicate and have said in court papers they had evidence that they may be behind dozens of other rhino poaching incidents in the Eastern Cape and elsewhere, including Limpopo.
Police Captain Morne Viljoen of the endangered species unit in Jeffrey’s Bay yesterday confirmed that the men had been arrested in connection with two rhino poaching cases in the vicinity of Hoedspruit.
He said they would appear in court Hoedspruit.
The Grahamstown case was postponed to July 5. It is understood that on that date it would be transferred for trial to the high court, possibly in October or November.
Police allege they caught the three men in a chalet at Grahamstown’s Makana Resort last year with a 10.27kg freshly harvested rhino horn, valued at close to R1-million, a saw, a dart gun and M99 tranquilliser. The police raid on the resort happened shortly after a white rhino bull was poached at nearby Buckland’s Game Reserve. in