Caption: A bad day in court for Landela and Mochocho after receiving 10 years behind bars
By Kopano Dibakwane
In a significant blow against wildlife crime and corruption within South Africa’s conservation authority, the Skukuza Regional Court has handed down effective 10-year prison sentences to a former KNP (Kruger National Park) field ranger and a veterinarian involved in a 2016 rhino poaching incident.
Former field ranger Rodney Landela (44) and former park veterinarian Kenneth Mochocho (49) were each convicted of the unlawful killing of a rhino and possession of a firearm with intent to commit an offence.
The NPA (National Prosecuting Authority) welcomed the court’s judgment, emphasising the importance of holding those in positions of trust accountable.
According to NPA Regional Spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, the court outcome demonstrates the criminal justice system’s commitment to protecting South Africa’s wildlife heritage and holding environmental criminals accountable:
“Rhino poaching remains a serious threat to the country’s biodiversity and conservation efforts. This successful prosecution sends a strong message that people who abuse positions of trust to facilitate wildlife crime will be identified, prosecuted and punished,” Nyuswa noted.
The convictions reportedly stem from an incident on 27 July 2016, in the Kingfisherspruit Section of the park.
Nyuswa said the day before, Landela had approved a duty roster assigning only three field rangers to work while giving the rest time off due to month-end. Upon reviewing the plan, the three rangers noticed that Block 37 had been intentionally excluded.
Recognising that a rhino had been poached in Block 37 during the previous month-end under similar staffing conditions, the rangers reportedly grew suspicious. On the morning of July 27, they took the independent initiative to patrol Block 37 without informing Landela.
Shortly after 05h00, two rangers on foot patrol heard three gunshots and immediately rushed toward the sound. They spotted two men fleeing toward a parked Toyota bakkie and alerted their colleague in a patrol vehicle to block the escape route.
The vehicle, which reportedly belonged to Mochocho and was carrying Landela as a passenger, was intercepted approximately 300 meters from the scene. Landela is said to have claimed that he was leaving the area to find cellphone reception to contact a manager, despite all rangers being equipped with two-way radios.
A search of the area led off-duty and responding rangers to a freshly killed rhino, still bleeding, with its horn removed. Near a location where Mochocho’s vehicle had made a U-turn, authorities discovered Landela’s firearm, an axe, and the poached rhino horn.
Although both men pleaded not guilty during the trial and alleged they were framed by fellow rangers, State Prosecutor Lot Mgiba presented an irrefutable case built on forensic and expert testimony.
A tracking expert confirmed the accused’s vehicle had been parked at the crime scene for over 45 minutes prior to the shooting.
DNA testing conclusively matched the recovered horn to the slain rhino. Blood found on the suspects’ clothing was matched to the poached rhino, and ballistic analysis confirmed the shell casings at the scene were fired from Landela’s firearm.
The court ordered the firearm sentences to run concurrently with the poaching sentences, resulting in an effective 10-year term of direct imprisonment for each man. Both were also declared unfit to possess firearms.
