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Two notorious rhino-poaching “Boere rhino-horn mafia” members have just been hit with jail sentences.

Gideon and Nicolaas van Deventer appeared in the Giyani Magistrate’s Court on Thursday where their jail sentences were handed down.

After pleading guilty to rhino poaching-related charges, they are being sentenced to 10 and 15 years imprisonment respectively.

Branded as serial rhino poachers and repeat offenders, their charge sheets are extensive. They were charged with conspiracy to hunt rhinos, illegal hunting, killing and dehorning a rhino bull, possession of rhino horns, selling rhino horns, and trespassing, per News24.

They managed a devastating rhino poaching spree between December 2016 and January 2017 and were finally caught and arrested on January 6, 2017.

Image: Supplied to Daily Maverick

The Daily Maverick has more:

In the current case, a few days after three poached carcasses were discovered around New Year 2017, Gideon, Niklaas and a Zimbabwean accomplice, Onward Muchagowa (39), were nabbed near Louis Trichardt by members of the Limpopo Endangered Species Unit following a tip-off that they had tried to sell rhino horns in the Makhado area.

Image: Supplied to Daily Maverick

A bag containing a plastic-wrapped horn was allegedly tossed out of the window of their bakkie during a high-speed, multi-vehicle pursuit, and later recovered by the police.

The accused have been in custody since the arrest more than five years ago, and prosecutor Norman Makuvele was disappointed with the lenient sentencing:

“As a prosecutor who worked on the case, I am not happy with the sentences because the accused were convicted for multiple offences of rhino poaching and dealing and possession of rhino horns – in all 13 counts. Each count carries a 15-year sentence as per the LEMA Act 7 of 2003, and further the accused were convicted in 2007 at Bloemfontein for killing more than 10 rhinos and sentenced very leniently,” Makuvele said in written statement to Daily Maverick.

Just as senior SANParks investigator Mario Scholtz testified, the impact of rhino poaching is huge, taking a toll on the already sparse rhino population, with poaching damaging reproduction rates.

There’s also the economic impact of poaching on private game reserves and the impact of poaching on the tourism industry to consider.

The van Deventer timeline of crimes suggests that they should really have been more severely punished in this latest sentencing.

A well-respected environmental lawyer has also mentioned that the “interest of society and the seriousness of these offences do not appear to have been sufficiently taken into account”.

The brothers may be eligible for parole after serving half their sentences.

[sources:dailymaverick&news24]