Indeed no bad deed goes unpunished, and this was the case this week when the high court in Polokwane sentenced Bethuel Mdubane to 24 years in jail.
The 36-year-old appeared in court on Thursday for charges of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, hunting and shooting rhinos, unlawful possession of a stolen car, two counts of possession of ammunition, and three counts of unlawful possession of prohibited firearms.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi, spokesperson for National Prosecuting Authority Limpopo division, Mdubane was a member of Waterberg Rangers Services where he worked as a guard preventing the poaching of wild animals at Lapalala Wilderness Nature Reserve.
“On 10 March 2020, the accused was on duty when he shot and killed two rhinos and further removed their horns,” Malabi-Dzhangi said.
“He then killed his accomplice, Primar Salazar Maluleque, and claimed that he was the one poaching the rhinos. The deceased and the accused had differences in sharing the proceeds of the rhino horns.”
The rhino horns, estimated to be valued at R1-million, were never recovered.
During Mdubane’s arrest at his homestead on November 19 2022, police found a 303 riffle, a bag containing a silencer, an axe, a knife, and live ammunition.
State advocate Trott Mphahlele told the court that the accused did not display remorse, arguing that he should be found guilty for committing serious offences that have become prevalent in that jurisdiction.
Mphahlele added that rhino poaching is on the rise and urged the court to send a strong message to would-be offenders.
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