Die Kwêvoël, Thabazimbi

THABAZIMBI – During the early hours of Monday 19 March, the SAPS Thabazimbi officers arrested three suspects including the driver of a vehicle for Possession of illegally imported cigarettes.

The vehicle was confiscated and towed to SAPS Thabazimbi. The estimated street value of the cigarettes is R73 000. The suspects appeared before Thabazimbi Magistrate Court on 22 March 2012.

- Media release issued by SAPS Thabazimbi

The copper cables which were found after farmers alerted the SAPS about unknown tracks on a farm, four suspected cable thieves were also apprehended.

THABAZIMBI – During Tuesday 13 March, the farmers from the Makoppa Area alerted SAPS Thabazimbi to inform them that they found unknown tracks on the one farm. These tracks were traced by the SAPS, farmers as well as a Private Security Company and the copper lying in the veld.

The area was searched and four suspects were apprehended, possibly connected to the attempt to steal the copper cable.

All the suspects appeared before the Thabazimbi Magistrate Court on Thursday 15 March, the case was postponed to 22 March for a bail application.

- Media release issued by SAPS Thabazimbi.

Walter Nkuna wat glo by renosterstropery betrokke was het op Maandag 19 Maart selfmoord gepleeg.

DWAALBOOM – Die polisie het bevestig dat ‘n 40-jarige bestuurder van ‘n natuurreservaat in Limpopo, wat glo by renosterstropery betrokke was, selfmoord gepleeg het.

‘n Polisiewoordvoerder, kol Vishnu Naidoo, sê Walter Nkuna se liggaam is Maandagmiddag, 19 Maart, in sy huis op die Atherstone natuurreservaat, in die Dwaalboom omgewing naby Thabazimbi, gevind. Hy sê die polisie was besig om leidrade op te volg rakende ‘n renoster wat Vrydag in die reservaat vir sy horing gestroop is. Nkuna se .458 kaliber vuurwapen is langs sy liggaam gevind. Naidoo sê hulle vermoed Nkuna het selfmoord gepleeg toe die polisie op pad was om hom in hegtenis te neem. Volgens berigte het die Nkuna hom in sy huis toegesluit en selfmoord gepleeg toe die polisie daar opgedaag het.

Naidoo sê die polisie vermoed geen vuilspel nie en ondersoek die saak. Nkuna is volgens berigte ‘n werknemer van die departement van omgewingsake in Limpopo. Daar is intussen verneem dat daar moontlik nog ‘n renoster in die reservaat doodgeskiet is en ‘n verdere drie gewond is. Naidoo sê hulle ondersoek die bewerings. Twee Mosambiekers word gesoek in verband met die stropery. Die Atherstone natuurreservaat is ‘n gesamentlike onderneming van die departemente van omgewingsake en toerisme in Limpopo, sowel as private eienaars.

Deur Estie Taljaard

estie@kwevoel.co.za

THABAZIMBI – ‘n Gemeenskapspolisiërings vergadering word weer volgende Donderdagaand om 18:00 te Laerskool Thabazimbi-saal gehou.

Die vergadering is vir alle plaas en plotbewoners en –eienaars van die Kransbergdistrik (TBZ berg Noord tot Kransberg) en Ellisraspad tot Leeubos (Thaba Motswere ingang en linkerkant- en regterkant van die pad) asook Spitskop, Doornhoek, Kwaggasvlakte en Marakele plot eienaars en –bewoners. Vir enige inligting kontak gerus Adjudant Offisier Jaco Havenga by 083 360 9698.

THABAZIMBI -  Dafnet Loodgieters in die Industriële gebied, sukkel al ‘n geruime tyd met hul Telkom lyn wat buite werking is weens koperkabel diefstal.

Hulle het ‘n amptelike brief van Telkom ontvang wat hul meedeel dat die vaste lyn-diens nie herstel gaan word nie as gevolg van die hoë diefstal van koperkabel in daardie area. Hul Telkomlyn word dus opgeskort. Dafnet vra hul kliënte verskoning vir enige ongerief wat die opskorting veroorsaak en versoek hulle om gebruik te maak van die volgende nommers: Fout rapportering en algemene herstelwerk: Wilma – 083 254 6434 of e-pos wilma@dafnet.co.za; Rekeninge/Betalings/Navrae: Marié – 083 372 1278 of e-pos marie@dafnet.co.za. Hul faksnommer is 086 675 9929.

Polokwane – A Vaalwater policeman has been suspended after cell phone video footage emerged of him brutally kicking and assaulting a youth, outside a tavern in November last year.

Petrus Lefoka, 45, appeared in the Modimolle Magistrate’s Court on a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm on Wednesday (14 March 2012), Beeld reported.

He was released on a warning, and instructed to appear in court again on May 9.

Limpopo police communication officer Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said the cell phone video footage was “shocking”, and that Lefoka has been suspended.

“The internal processes are also taking shape. He will be appearing before a disciplinary hearing committee in a week’s time,” he told the SABC.

The Independent Complaints Directorate said it received details of the matter this week, and was satisfied with the way the police are handling the incident.

“We will only get involved if the family or the victim himself is not satisfied with the investigation,” ICD spokesperson Moses Dlamini told the SABC.

The incident was first reported by the Sowetan last year, but the cell phone video footage of the incident was only recently made public, after being posted on 2oceansVibe earlier this week. News24 http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica

LOUIS TRICHARDT – ‘n Verslae Jacques Els het vandeesweek ‘n paar benoude oomblikke beleef toe hy op die drumpel van die tronk te staan gekom het.

Die 39-jarige Jan Karel Pieter Els, alombekend as Jacques, is Dinsdag tot agt jaar gevangenisstraf gevonnis in die Louis Trichardt Streekhof. Hy het op 2 Maart, ingevolge ‘n pleitooreenkoms, skuldig gepleit op klagte wat verband hou met die jag, handeldryf en besit van renosterhorings sonder die nodige permitte.

Els loop ook nou die gevaar dat die Staat op sy bates kan beslag lê.

Volgens Els het hy die renosterhorings aangekoop met die oog om dit later te verkoop as die verbod op die handel in renosterhorings gelig word.

Aanvanklik het die klagte teen Els betrekking gehad op 38 renosterhorings, maar die getal is later aangepas tot 30; volgens die Streekhof is dit die meeste renosterhorings waarvoor iemand tot nog toe aangekla is.

Meeste van dié horings was afkomstig van die Maremani Natuurreservaat buite Musina. Volgens Els het hy ‘n kooptransaksie met wyle mnr Tom Fourie (51) aangegaan om die horings te koop. Die horings is van die renosters verwyder deur hulle te verdoof.

Els het aangevoer dat hy en Fourie tot dié aksie oorgegaan het om die renosters op die reservaat te beskerm teen voornemende stropers. Die geoeste horings het Els by sy woning in Thabazimbi weggesluit. Intussen, het hy te kenne gegee, sou hy dan aansoek doen vir bergingspermitte asof die horings aan hom behoort het.

Hierdie verweer is Dinsdag deur die hof verwerp. Landdros Pat Cloete het Els se gedrag as “laakbaar” beskryf. Hy het verder bygevoeg dat dit duidelik is vanuit Els se pleit dat sekere feite verswyg word.

Hy het ook gesê dat dit uiters onwaarskynlik is om te glo dat Els so ‘n edel motief gehad het as om die renosterhorings te bêre vir ‘n onbepaalde tyd en om dit dan aan ‘n oorbelaaide mark te verkoop teen ‘n onbepaalde prys.”

Hy het Els 10 jaar gevangenisstraf opgelê, waarvan twee jaar opgeskort is vir die horings wat by Fourie gekoop is. Els is ook ‘n verdere vier jaar tronkstraf opgelê weens die onwettige besit van die horings van sy eie renosters. Hierdie straf is vir vyf jaar opgeskort, op voorwaarde dat hy R1 miljoen in paaiemente van R100 000 oor 10 maande aan die Nasionale Wildlewe Misdaadreaksie-Eenheid, oftewel die Groen Skerpioene, betaal.

Els het dadelik ‘n borgaansoek gebring na die uitspraak. Hy is op R300 000 borg vrygelaat, hangende ‘n aansoek om verlof tot appèl wat hy wil indien by die hof.

Els sal ook weer op 2 Julie hier in die hof verskyn nadat die Staat te kenne gegee het dat die Nasionale Vervolgingsgesag se batebeslagleggingseenheid op Els se eiendom wil beslag lê. (LiN Nuus / Zoutpansberger)

Rico, the two year old Belgian Malinois dog is SA’s latest weapon in the fight against rhino horn smuggling.

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is proud to welcome its newest member of staff – Rico the Wildlife Sniffer Dog! Rico, who is being trained to detect wildlife products, is funded through the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust and will be deployed as part of a partnership between the EWT and the African Consultants for Transport Security (ACTS), a cargo screening company that uses sniffer dogs to detect explosives in cargo.

Rico, a two year old Belgian Malinois, arrived in South Africa from Germany on Tuesday the 6th of March to take up duty as a Wildlife Sniffer Dog at OR Tambo International Airport’s cargo and baggage sections.  The canine is physically ideally suited for the task as he has a high work drive, immense confidence and intense focus, coupled with an extraordinary sense of smell.

The dog forms part of the EWT’s strategy to quell the rampant rhino poaching and illegal wildlife trade. The rhino poaching crisis has demonstrated that there is no single solution to addressing illegal wildlife trade, which is an increasing global phenomenon, estimated to be the third largest illegal industry worldwide after drugs and human trafficking, and often has its roots in organised, trans-boundary crime. For this reason the EWT is implementing interventions at several stages in the poaching and wildlife trade chain, including the deployment of highly trained sniffer dogs specifically trained to detect wildlife products like rhino horn, at various ports of exit through the country.

Rico will be housed and cared for by ACTS at their canine facility in Kempton Park, with generous sponsorship for the animal also coming from BIDVest and the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Fund. Once he has acclimatised to his new environment Rico is to be introduced to his future handler.  While he already understands the principles of searching for and detecting scents he will now be imprinted on the specific scents –  particularly rhino horn, ivory and abalone – that he needs to detect before being put to work. As he matures, new scents of other threatened species affected by illegal trade and smuggling will be added to his olfactory repertoire.

The EWT will facilitate the deployment of a further five dogs at various high risk border points of entry and exit during 2012. This will contribute to increasing the detection rate of wildlife contraband in transit and therefore, the risk associated with wildlife crime and rhino poaching specifically. With increased detection comes improved arrest and prosecution rates and hopefully, a reduction in poaching through deterring individuals involved in organised crime.

For further information about the EWT’s Rhino Project please contact Kirsty Brebner at kirstyb@ewt.org.za