[imagesource: Saving The Wild]

A video from the parking lot of a Pick n Pay shopping complex in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, captured the moment an alleged rhino poaching kingpin was shot while sitting in his car.

Yesterday, 57-year-old Petros Sidney Mabuza (seen above), was sitting in his red Ford Ranger double-cab bakkie when three armed men arrived in a black car.

Nicknamed ‘Mr Big’ for all his alleged poaching of rhinos, he didn’t survive the gunfire that came his way.

This via News24:

“A group of about three armed suspects, who were in a black VW Polo, fired several shots at him and then fled the scene. He was rushed to hospital, where he later succumbed to the gunshot [wounds],” police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said.

Besides the investigation to find the hitmen who shot Mabuza, police are also investigating a case of attempted murder after an elderly woman who was passing by at the time of the incident was shot and wounded:

“The police were notified about the incident where a murder case was opened with an additional charge of attempted murder, hence the manhunt.

No arrests have been made as yet and the motive for the killing is unknown at this point,” Hlathi said.

Apparently, she is now recuperating in hospital.

Although no motives have yet been stated, Hlathi mentioned that the deceased had previously been arrested on several charges of rhino poaching and the cases (which started in 2018) were currently before the High Court.

Major General Thulani Phahla, the acting Mpumalanga police commissioner, is urging the police to take action as quickly as possible:

“No one has the right to take another person’s life, regardless of the reasons. We are optimistic that members of the community will share information with the police so that the perpetrators can be brought to book…,” Phahla said.

Watch the moment ‘Mr Big’ was shot, with the black VW Polo speeding off at the end:

VIDEO https://t.co/6iTA6Xa0a5 pic.twitter.com/UmBAa067zO

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) June 17, 2021

Mabuza’s car was riddled with bullets, with some reports saying the gunmen fired as many as 17 shots:

Image: Twitter/ @Abramjee

According to Jamie Joseph, founder of Saving The Wild, an anti-poaching organisation, Mabuza had paid off many people over the years, including some in the justice and police sectors.

[source:news24]