A decade-long trial ends

Rodney Landela and Kenneth Muchocho have been convicted of killing and dehorning a white rhino in the Kruger National Park in 2016, ending a ten-year trial in the Skukuza Regional Court.

The verdict is delivered

Regional magistrate MJ Ngobeni rejected the accused men's claim that they had been framed, ruling that the State had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt on Friday.

Two guilty verdicts each

Both men were found guilty as charged on two counts: killing a rhino and possession of a firearm with intent to commit a crime.

The crown prince of rangers

Landela, then thirty-four, had joined SANParks in two thousand one as a general worker and rose to become regional ranger for Marula North, overseeing vast operational sections of the park.

A rising star arrested

Dr Xolani Funda, SANParks' general manager for area integrity management, testified that Landela was considered the crown prince of the ranger corps and a likely candidate to become chief ranger.

“crown prince of the ranger corps”

Muchocho's role in the park

Muchocho was employed as an animal health technician by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, stationed at Skukuza to monitor animal diseases.

The morning of the killing

On July twenty-seventh, twenty sixteen, field rangers in Block thirty-seven heard three gunshots in quick succession, then spotted two figures running toward a white Toyota Hilux bakkie.

The interception

Ranger teams intercepted the vehicle near the Majekejeni firebreak four-way junction. Muchocho was driving. Landela was in the passenger seat. Landela told the ranger they were seeking a cellphone signal.

The evidence discovered

Trackers found a freshly killed sub-adult white rhino bull with a gunshot wound and its main horn hacked off.

The framing claim

Both men denied involvement, claiming they had been framed. Landela testified he had locked his rifle and equipment in his office safe the evening before his arrest and was still surprised how they ended up…

“still surprised to this day”

The prosecution's case

Prosecutor Lot Mgiba argued that for Landela's framing claim to be true, someone would have had to access his locked office, steal his rifle, shoot the rhino, and plant evidence, all without being detected.

Sentencing set for next week

Landela and Muchocho were remanded in custody pending sentencing on Friday, October sixteenth. SANParks called the verdict a significant victory in the fight against wildlife crime.