Die Beeld published this story on 18 August 2020 – another pangolin poaching group caught in the act!

Read the original story here

Polisielid vas wat glo ietermagô wil verkoop

Deur Hanti Otto

‘n Gewapende polisielid het glo noe net ‘n hoogs bedreigde ietermagô prober verkoop nie, maar ook in die spitsverkeer prober wegjaag vir sy kollegas wat hom in hegtenis wou neem.

Voorts blyk dit dat een van ao. Tlou Jackson Nkoko se kamerade ‘n gesoekte man is met drie uitstaande sake van roof, die besit van ‘n gesteelde voertuig en motorkaping teen hom.

Nkoko, van die Tembisa-polisie, is op 7 Augustus saam met Steven Ramambila, Wilfred Teffo en Tebogo Seemise in hegtenis geneem op ‘n klag dat hulle sonder ‘ permit in besit was van ‘n bedreigde spesie end it prober verkoop het.

Ietermagô’s is op doe Internasionale Bewaringsunie (IUCN) se lys van bedreigde species.

Dit het wel ‘n enormie spanpoging van kilometers tussen Pretoria and Midrand deur lede van doe Cullinan-polisie se veediefstal-enbedreigde species-eenheid van Silverton, Bronkhorstspruit en Benoni gekos om die vier verdagtes vas te trek en die erg verwaarloosde ietermagô te red.

Die inhegtenisnemings kom nadat sie polisie inligtin van ‘n informant ontvang het dat twee mans die dier te koop aanbied.

‘nLokval, verskans as ‘n ontmoeting met ‘n koper, is gereël. ‘n Tweede voertuig met nog twee verdagtes in het ná ‘n rukkie opgedaag en hulle het die ietermagô aan die “koper” gewys. Die smokkelaars het daarop versoek doe ontmoeting moet na Midrand verskuif waar die transaksie beklink so word.

Die eerst voertuig is onderskep toe dit weggetrek het. Dir tweede voertuig – na bewering bestuur deur Nkoko en met die ietermagô in – het weggejaag.

Ná ‘n jaagtog ten tyde van spitsverkeer het lede van die onderskeie honde-eenhede, was as versterking ingeroep is, die voertuig afgetrek gekry. Die bestuurder is in besit van ‘n polisiedienspistool betrap, warop hy as ‘n polisielid geïdentifiseer is. Nkoko was nie ten tyde van die voorval aan diens nie. Doe polisie het bedlag gelè op die pistol, patrone en die twee voertuie.

Die vier verdagtes het kort daarna in the landdroshof in Wynberg, Alexandra, verskyn. Teffo is verlede week op borgtog van R10 000 vrygelaat.

Nkoko and Seemise is Vrydag op borgtog van R20 000 elk vrygelaat. Ramambila, wat verskeie uitstaande sake teen hom het, het gister ‘n formele aansoek om borgtog ingedien. Dit gaan later vandeesweek voort.

Die ietermagô, waarvan die oorsprong nog onbekend is, is intussen in the sorg van ‘n wildveearts gelaat.

 

 

English translation

Police officer arrested for allegedly selling pangolin 

An armed policeman apparently not only tried to sell a highly endangered pangolin, but also tried to chase away in rush hour traffic for his colleagues who wanted to arrest him. Furthermore, it appears that one of the arrested comrades of  Tlou Jackson Nkoko’s is a wanted man with three outstanding cases of robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and car hijacking against him. Nkoko, of the Tembisa police, was arrested on August 7 along with Steven Ramambila, Wilfred Teffo and Tebogo Seemise on a charge that they were in possession of an endangered species without a permit and tried to sell it. Pangolins are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s list of endangered species.It did cost a huge team effort of kilometers between Pretoria and Midrand by members of the Cullinan police’s stock theft and endangered species unit of Silverton, Bronkhorstspruit and Benoni to catch the four suspects and save the badly neglected pangolin.The arrests come after they received police information from an informant that two men were offering the animal for sale.A trap, set up as a meeting with a buyer, was arranged. A second vehicle with two more suspects in it arrived after a while and they showed the pangolin to the “buyer”. The smugglers requested that the meeting be moved to Midrand, where the deal was concluded.The first vehicle was intercepted when it pulled away. The second vehicle – allegedly driven by Nkoko and with the pangolin in – drove away.After a chase during rush hour, members of the various K9 units, called in as reinforcements, made the vehicle pulled over. The driver was caught in possession of a police service pistol, on which he was identified as a police member. Nkoko was not on duty at the time of the incident. Police confiscated a firarm, cartridges and the two vehicles.The four suspects appeared shortly afterwards in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court, Alexandra. Teffo was released on R10 000 bail last week.Nkoko and Seemise were released on bail of R20 000 each on Friday. Ramambila, who has several outstanding cases against him, submitted a formal application for bail yesterday. It continues later this week. The pangolin, the origin of which is still unknown, has meanwhile been left in the care of a wildlife veterinarian.