Machaneng police raise alarm over spike in illegal hunting

Pini Bothoko | Wednesday April 23, 2025 14:26

Station commander for Machaneng Police, Superintendent George Mabuta said despite continued efforts to raise public awareness, people persist in unlawfully entering private farms to hunt wild animals without the consent of farm owners.

'This year alone, we have already recorded three cases of unlawful hunting in privately-owned farms,” he told The Monitor.

Mabuta revealed that in the latest incident, police arrested five men who were found in possession of a carcass suspected to be of a wild beast known locally as kgokong.

He stated that the arrests were made at Marakalalo 4 Farm, located along the Limpopo River, during a routine stop, question and search operation.

'We continue to arrest people in possession of wild animal’s meat which they fail to account for when interrogated by the police.

'This week, we have arrested five men with suspected stolen kgokong meat. It's concerning that despite our awareness campaigns, our message seems to fall on deaf ears,' Mabuta added.

He identified the suspects as a 22-year-old and a 25-year-old from Molebe ward, a 24-year-old from Phokeng ward, a 29-year-old from Mosikare ward, and a 33-year-old from Ramosweu ward.

All the five suspects, who are residents of Machaneng, are currently unemployed.

He said the suspects failed to explain the origin of the meat, leading to their arrest and subsequent charging under Section 49, Subsection 1 of the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act, Cap 38:01.

Mabuta further stated that the kgokong carcass was seized by police and will be used as evidence in court.

He warned the public to desist from illegal hunting activities, emphasising that the law is clear and they have been sensitising the public about illegal hunting.