Brother of Hluhluwe boss held for poaching

THE half-brother of a man who was once in charge of protecting KwaZulu-Natal’s rhinos has been arrested for trying to poach the animals.

He was one of four people arrested in a private game reserve near Hluhluwe.

Mbuso Ngubane is the halfbrother of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife’s Jabulani Ngubane, manager of Hluhluwe.

Two other South Africans and an 18-year-old Mozambican were arrested with him while attempting to enter the Zulu Nyala Game Lodge.

The four men, Ngubane, Ojne Masinga of Mozambique, and Musawenkosi Zikhali and Thulani Mduli, appeared in the Hluhluwe Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

They were charged with illegal poaching and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

They are in custody pending a bail application.

A .375 hunting rifle fitted with a silencer, ammunition, three axes and cellphones were seized as evidence.

“Mbuso and Jabulani are half-brothers who grew up in different areas,” said Musa Mntambo, spokesman for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

“They know each other, but are not that close. Jabulani is a committed Ezemvelo employee. When a poacher is arrested everyone is happy, which is how Jabulani felt. He wants the law to take its course.

“It was Jabulani who informed us that Mbuso was his half-brother when the arrest took place.”

Police spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker said the bust was a joint operation by the Hawks, the police stock-theft unit, special task force and Nyathi antipoaching unit.

Naicker said since the beginning of the year, the police had arrested 36 suspects for rhino-poaching incidents in KwaZulu-Natal.

Eighteen poachers were convicted in the province between last year and this year, he said.