Three plead not guilty to poaching rare black oryx
Three young men appeared in the Barkly West Magistrate’s Court this week for allegedly poaching an extremely rare black oryx, believed to be the only one of its kind in SA and valued at around R8m, on a game farm outside Kimberley last year.
A report on the IoL site notes that Tshkolo William Dikoko (26) Thabang Riet (18) and a minor (17) appeared on charges relating to the contravention of the Conservation Act, as well as trespassing, after allegedly hunting the black oryx (a protected species) without a permit and also using prohibited hunting methods (dogs and stones) during the incident that occurred at a private game reserve in November 2016. All three accused pleaded guilty to trespassing but not guilty to the charges of hunting a protected species without a permit and hunting with prohibited methods. The case was postponed until later this week, when closing arguments are expected to be heard before judgment is delivered by Magistrate Veliswa Sityata.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
