Kruger Park rhino poacher sentenced to 20 years in prison
A convicted rhino poacher has been sentenced for a 2020 Kruger National Park incident.
His sentence amounts to an effective 20 years of direct imprisonment.
The man was rearrested in 2023 after absconding after his initial arrest in 2020.
The Skukuza Regional Court sentenced a convicted Kruger National Park rhino poacher on Thursday to 20 years of direct imprisonment.
Nelson Sandile Sambo, a 43-year-old Mozambican national, was arrested on 2 December 2020, according to National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.
"Field rangers of Skukuza heard gunshots around the Stolzneck Section and started searching. They found Sambo and Gabriel Chauke in possession of fresh rhino horns, a firearm and ammunition. Field rangers continued their search and discovered two rhino carcasses closer to where the accused were apprehended," Nyuswa said.
Sambo and Chauke were granted bail and later absconded.
Sambo was rearrested in 2023 and later pleaded guilty.
He was convicted of seven charges, including trespassing, killing a rhino, and possession of a firearm.
Chauke is still at large.
In aggravation of sentence, prosecutor Lot Mgiba presented DNA evidence linking the two men to the rhino carcasses, as well as evidence showing that the bullet was fired from a firearm found in the accused's possession.
Sambo was sentenced to 35 years in total, but some sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 20 years.
Nyuswa said:
The NPA welcomes the sentence and reaffirms its commitment to holding offenders accountable and protecting South Africa's wildlife for future generations.
News24 previously reported that rhino poaching in South Africa had decreased, with 420 rhinos killed between January and December last year - a decline from the 499 poached in 2023.
It was the lowest number of rhino poaching cases since 2020, when 394 rhinos were killed.
Of the 420 rhinos, 320 were killed on state properties, and 100 were killed on privately owned parks, reserves or farms.
The hardest-hit province continues to be KwaZulu-Natal, losing 232 rhinos in 2024 - a decline from the 325 that were lost in 2023.
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