After nine years, the long-awaited trial of former Kruger National Park (KNP) regional ranger, Rodney Landela, and state veterinary technician Kenneth Mutshotsho, has resumed at the Skukuza Regional Court.
The trial resumed on Thursday, February 20, with forensic investigator Cindy Harper taking the witness stand at the Skukuza Regional Court.
Harper testified that DNA found on two pairs of shoes and an axe in Landela’s car matched that of two rhino horns discovered in Mutshotsho’s vehicle when the pair were arrested on July 27, 2016. However, Harper raised concerns about the handling of evidence, stating that some bags containing key items were not properly sealed.
“The plastic bag carrying the knife and axe was partially unsealed, while the other items – boots, sandals, and a jacket – were put in different plastic bags. However, these different items were in one big bag when we received them and the bag was not sealed,” Harper explained in court.
Landela and Mutshotsho’s lawyer, Advocate Mswazi Makhubela, argued that improper sealing of evidence could have led to contamination. He questioned the reliability of the findings, urging the court not to consider the results.
The State is expected to call more witnesses as the case progresses.
Ike Phaahla, the KNP’s Marketing and Communications Manager, addressed the ongoing poaching crisis within the park.
“Over 40 individuals have been arrested and sentenced by the courts, while others are still awaiting trial for their alleged involvement in rhino poaching,” he said.
Phaahla stressed that KNP’s staff is under constant scrutiny, and efforts are being made to root out corruption.
“We are not employing angels here,” Phaahla said. Syndicates are after high-value assets, and they will try to infiltrate our team. However, the long arm of the law will always catch up with them.”
Landela, a former KNP ranger for 15 years, had been recognized with several awards, including a prestigious individual achievement award in 2012. Despite his accomplishments, his involvement in this poaching case has led to his arrest.
The case stems from an incident on July 27, 2016, when KNP rangers, responding to gunshots heard near Kingfisherspruit, discovered a poached rhino. As they pursued two men fleeing in a bakkie, they found blood-soaked shoes and a high-caliber hunting rifle in their vehicle, along with two rhino horns dropped in the veld by Mutshotsho as they fled.
The case has now been postponed to June 24-27 this year.
Phaahla said they “hope to conclude this trial soon, and remind our colleagues not to engage in criminality.”
