A 28-year-old poacher who killed two rhinos in the Kruger National Park has been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment, closing a case authorities say reflects the relentless pressure on South Africas protected wildlife.
Bethuel Baloyi was sentenced on Friday by the Skukuza regional court after being convicted on a range of charges linked to a 2020 poaching incident, including trespassing, killing rhinos, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, conspiracy to commit a crime, and carrying a dangerous weapon.
Monica Nyuswa, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, said rangers patrolling the Pretoriuskop section of the park encountered Baloyi and two accomplices Million Masilane and Mozambican national Andries Baloyi carrying rifles and other weapons' on March 28 2020.
