
Kruger poaching suspect caught with rifle and ammo appears in court
Kruger poaching suspect caught with rifle and ammo appears in court
Mozambican national Francisco Sithole (28), who was arrested during an anti-poaching patrol in the Kruger National Park, appeared in the Masoyi Periodical Court in Mpumalanga yesterday.
Lowvelder reports that the matter was postponed to June 23 for him to appoint a legal representative to assist him with his bail application.
Sithole was arrested on Tuesday after he was found in possession of a hunting rifle.
According to the Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, the rangers were on patrol in the Houtboschrand Ranger Section when they discovered human spoor.
'While following the spoor, the rangers encountered two males, one of who was armed with a hunting rifle. The rangers ordered the suspect to drop the weapon, but both individuals fled. A chase ensued, and one of the suspects was successfully apprehended. He was found in possession of a hunting rifle and nine rounds of ammunition,' Ndubane says.
Sithole is facing numerous charges, namely:
Possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition
Trespassing in the park
Contravention of the Immigration Act 13 of 2002.
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