The Mokopane magistrate court has sentenced Jeremias Macheque aged 37 and Hendriques Manganye aged 40 to four and half year imprisonment and further six years of which three years is suspended for five years for being in possession of endangered species in Giyani, Homo village on 1 June 2016.
Their co-accused, Carlito Ngobeni aged 36 was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment and a further six years suspended for five years or R20 000-00 and also declared unfit to possess firearm.
The Police received a complaint about the two white lions that were found poisoned and skinned at a private game reserve outside Lephalale on 28 May 2016. Police immediately commenced with the investigations and received a tip-off about the suspects who were selling lion parts in Giyani policing area.
The intelligence driven operation was conducted by members of the Provincial Stock theft unit and arrested the trio after a transaction estimated to R50 000-00 was made for purchasing of two heads and feet of white lions that were positively linked through the Forensic evidence of the reported incident in Lephalale.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
