A 28-year-old poacher who killed two rhinos in the Kruger National Park has been sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment, closing a case authorities say reflects the relentless pressure on South Africa’s protected wildlife. Bethuel Baloyi was sentenced on Friday by the Skukuza regional court after being convicted on a range of charges linked to a 2020 poaching incident, including trespassing, killing rhinos, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, conspiracy to commit a crime, and carrying a dangerous weapon. Monica Nyuswa, National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson, said “rangers patrolling the Pretoriuskop section of the park encountered Baloyi and two accomplices — Million Masilane and Mozambican national Andries Baloyi — carrying rifles and other weapons” on March 28 2020.
When rangers attempted to arrest them, Andries Baloyi allegedly pointed a gun at the team. Rangers returned fire, killing him. The surviving suspects were arrested and found with a rifle bearing an obliterated serial number and live ammunition.
A search of the area led rangers to the carcasses of two freshly killed rhinos. Bloodstains on Baloyi’s clothing were later confirmed by experts to match rhino blood. Though Baloyi pleaded not guilty, the court found the state’s evidence compelling.
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His co-accused, Masilane, was sentenced to 16 years in 2023. Baloyi absconded during his trial but was later re-arrested in the Hluhluwe Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal for a separate alleged poaching case, which is still pending. The court imposed several sentences including 10 years for killing two rhinos and additional jail terms for firearms possession and related offences, ordering some to run concurrently, culminating in an effective 16-year term. Nyuswa said the authority welcomed the sentence, adding that poaching continues to threaten South Africa’s endangered wildlife and natural heritage
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