Three months after being accused of poaching, sacked Hawks spokesman, McIntosh Polela, may be in hot water again.
|||Durban - Three months after being accused of poaching at a Himeville, KwaZulu-Natal, nature reserve, sacked Hawks spokesman, McIntosh Polela, may be in hot water again.
This time, reaction officers from a private security company caught Polela allegedly attempting to hunt in the Besters area, just outside Ladysmith.
While no wild animals were found in his possession this time, it has been claimed he was travelling late at night last month on a public road with a spotlight and hunting rifles.
And while Polela had allegedly not shot any animals, he could face several charges in terms of the Natal Nature Conservation Ordinance 15 of 1974. These include hunting at night, hunting with a spotlight, hunting with rifles and hunting on a public road from a vehicle.
Polela declined to comment on the latest incident.
“I am not a legal expert. I will not be drawn into a debate about this,” he said.
“My lawyer is busy dealing with the Himeville and Ladysmith incidents.”
In February, a Himeville farmer allegedly caught Polela with a common reedbuck - a protected species - and a grey duiker, without a permit in a KZN nature reserve.
Polela is facing charges of illegal hunting and pointing a firearm, but he opened a counter-charge against the farmer for assault and pointing a firearm.
KZN police spokesman, Colonel Vincent Mdunge, said the matter was with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), awaiting a decision.
“The DPP will decide whether both will be charged or just Polela.”
Mdunge said he was unaware of the Ladysmith incident.
According to a source, Polela could be charged with more than 10 counts, all relating to illegal hunting - each carrying a maximum fine of R20 000 - for the Himeville and Besters incidents.
If convicted of hunting a protected species, he could also face a substantial fine or a jail term. The source said the hefty fine was meant to be a deterrent to poachers.
The source said it was alleged that Polela was travelling through the Besters area - known to be home to several wildlife species - when he was spotted by the security company.
The reaction officers had allegedly seen the spotlight and pursued it.
“The vehicle looked very suspicious and the reaction officers noticed the hunting rifles. That was when they alerted the farm watch in the area,” the source said, adding that Polela was questioned by the reaction officers about his motives.
Police were also alerted to the alleged activity.
Both incidents are being investigated by the Pietermaritzburg Stock Theft Unit, and it is believed that Polela’s hunting rifles are to be seized and sent for ballistics in coming days.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesman, Musa Mntambo, said night hunting with spotlights was illegal: “It is not allowed and any person found to be breaking the law will be arrested and fined. It is a serious offence.”
In general, Mntambo said, poachers who persisted in breaking the law would face the full might of the law.
“Poaching in KZN is a problem. While the focus now is on rhino poaching, other animals are at risk too,” Mntambo said. “There have been several arrests in recent months.”
He said incidents of poaching had been reported on the KZN North Coast, Drakensberg and Midlands areas.
In February, Polela and a few hunting companions were allegedly caught by the Himeville farmer with the two buck.
The common reedbuck is protected in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act and cannot be hunted.
The farmer claimed the animals had been shot with a rifle, fitted with a silencer.
At the time of the incident, Polela said he had not known the buck was a protected species - or that he needed a permit to hunt it. The incident allegedly took place in the Swamp Nature Reserve near Himeville.
According to Ezemvelo, the hunting season has now closed. It starts again on May 31 and runs until August 31.
On Friday, national police spokesman, Brigadier Phuti Setati, confirmed that Polela had been fired.
His dismissal came after a disciplinary hearing into a tweet on prison rape.
He had been suspended in November, three weeks after he tweeted that convicted murderer and kwaito star Molemo “Jub Jub” Maarohanye’s supporters should give him a jar of vaseline to take to prison.
yogas.nair@inl.co.za
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