Rhino poaching suspects denied bail

Three men arrested as part of Operation Full Moon have been denied bail in the Grahamstrown’s Magistrate’s Court.

Forget Ndlovu, 40, of Pacaltsdorp, George, Jabulani Ndlovu, 38 of Cleonie Crescent, Charlo and Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu, 37, of Motherwell were remanded in custody. Forget and Jabulani, both originally from Zimbabwe, are not related.

The case was postponed to July 22 for further investigation.

The three were arrested at a chalet at the Makana Resort in Grahamstown at about 10pm on Friday. The arrest was a major breakthrough for officials in their attempt to curb rhino poaching.

The following items were recovered during the arrest:

• One 72 cm rhino horn which had been freshly harvested, estimated to be worth about R1.2 million; • One darting rifle; • Saws and knives; • Drugs used to dart animals; • Various darts and percussion caps; • A variety of camping gear and rations; • Several cellphones; and • Two rental vehicles rented by the suspects.

The suspects have been linked to the recent poaching of a rhino at Buckland’s Private Game Reserve.

The rhino was last seen alive on at about 09:30am on June 17. It is suspected that the rhino was darted. The suspects could possibly be linked to 10 rhino poaching incidents in the Eastern Cape as well as Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Acting Eastern Cape provincial commissioner, Major General Zamuthango Mki thanked all the members and officials deployed at the operation.

“Operation Full Moon is aimed at curbing Rhino Poaching activities in a structured and co-ordinated manner. This is a major breakthrough for the police in the province. The arrests must send a message that SAPS members in the rural areas are as vigilant,” he said.