It seems there is some political meddling afoot as three rhino poachers, involved in a shootout with with police and rangers, managed to avoid jail time in a ruling that has left many angered.

The three men were arrested in May 2013 for poaching the endangered species in Phinda Private Game Reserve, where they opened fire on police and the Nyathi anti-poaching unit. After initially being released on R300 bail the men were hit with a R60 000 fine and found guilty of conspiracy to hunt rhino illegally. That fine can be paid in instalments of R2 000 per month, with defaulting of payment carrying a seven-year jail sentence.

So how did they escape being locked up and manage to cop just a fine? TimesLive reports:

DA police spokesman [spokeswoman actually] Dianne Kohler Barnard said she was outraged and called for an investigation into rhino trial courts in KwaZulu-Natal after multiple allegations of interference and undue influence being exerted.

“[This] speaks of very high-powered political interference to me, but obviously it needs to be investigated by the Hawks,” Kohler Barnard said.

One of the poachers, 35-year-old Madoda Gumede, is the brother of a prominent Zululand traditional leader. He is also the son of a former Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife board member, the now deceased Simon Gumede.

The magistrate handing down the ruling suspended for five years Gumede’s six-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, he being the man responsible for supplying the hunting rifle, silencer and ammunition used for poaching.

The magistrate’s ruling has drawn additional heat as it follows just three days after a Mozambican man was jailed for an effective five years on lesser charges.

Moral of the story? It pays to have friends in high places, those pesky R2 000 monthly payments more than likely offset by the exorbitant price that rhino horn fetches on the black market.

[source:timeslive]