Mozambican men, armed with rifle, arrested for illegal hunting in Kruger National Park
Two men were intercepted and arrested in the Kruger National Park for illegal poaching activities, while the third suspect fled.
Image: File/SAPS
Police at Skukuza, in Mpumalanga, have arrested two Mozambican nationals aged 29 and 38 for possession of an unlicenced firearm and ammunition.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said the two men also face charges of trespassing in the Houtboschrand Ranger area within the Kruger National Park.
“The arrest came after the field rangers who were on patrol picked up tracks of three suspected poachers. They informed their regional ranger of Marula North section, who immediately dispatched the K9 unit, and they started tracking,” said Ndubane.
The rangers also requested helicopters and hounds from Skukuza to be on standby.
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“The field rangers and K-9 unit then reported that they had visuals of the three suspects at around 2.20pm on Thursday, 8 May 2025, at Gorge Block. The regional ranger then informed the helicopters and hounds and they made their way to the scene,” said Ndubane.
“One helicopter and the hounds then started searching in the direction where the poachers had been spotted. After some time of searching, they were able to spot two of the three suspects. The two had run into a small bush and hid under an antbear burrow.”
The two were apprehended, and they were found in possession of a hunting rifle and eleven rounds of ammunition.
“They were then arrested by the police from Skukuza SAPS for the above-mentioned charges. The third suspect managed to escape, and he is still at large,” said Ndubane.
The two arrested suspects are scheduled to appear before the Skukuza Periodical Court soon.
Last week, IOL reported that the Skukuza Regional Court in Mpumalanga sentenced 41-year-old rhino poacher, Nelson Sambo, to 20 years imprisonment.
Sambo was convicted and sentenced for rhino poaching activities in the popular Kruger National Park.
The court heard that on December 2, 2020, Sambo and another suspect only identified as Gabriel somehow entered the Kruger National Park through the Stolznek section.
“The field rangers deployed in the field on that day heard two gunshots within the section of Stolznek. The incident was then immediately reported, and assistance was sought from Skukuza Airport,” said Brigadier Donald Mdhluli.
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