Jozini Dam search: ‘Poacher’ shoots police diver in the face
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal has called on law enforcement to move with speed to eradicate a tiger fish poaching syndicate operating at Pongolapoort Dam.
A police officer was shot in the face by a suspected poacher while searching for the missing crew member of a houseboat that went up in flames on Jozini Dam.
Police says officers were on patrol when they saw three men standing on the edge of the dam.
A shot fired in their direction struck a warrant officer in the jaw.
The DA's Heinz de Boer says gillnets, which are illegal, are used to catch thousands of fish there each week.
"We expect a multi-departmental level investigation and a crime intelligence driven operation to once and for all stamp out the illegal poaching and gillnetting that is happening in this particular dam.
"Tiger fishing remains one of the biggest economic drivers within that municipality and within the region and it must be preserved at all costs."
Meanwhile, Environmental Affairs MEC Ravi Pillay says tiger fish poaching is a growing concern in the Umkhanyakude region.
"We are the department will continue will with the law enforcement agencies to curb poaching and I must say that apart from it have a detrimental effort on the environment it also has a negative impact on the tourism sector and on economic development generally."
A case of attempted murder is being investigated.
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