Slight improvement in rhino poaching statistics
There is some positive news as far as the fight against rhino poaching is concerned.
According to the latest statistics, there has been a slight decrease in the number of rhino poached, nationally.
Environmental Affairs Minister, Edna Molewa has been delivering her department's progress report on anti-rhino poaching efforts in Cape Town.
"A total of 529 rhino have been poached since January 2017. That's compared to 542 in the same period for 2016 representing a decrease of 13 rhinos. We are comparing the same period last year with the same period this year."
In the Kruger National Park, a total of 243 carcasses were found between January and June compared to 354 over same period last year.
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However since the beginning of 2017, 30 elephants were poached in the Kruger.
A total of 359 suspected rhino poachers have been arrested in the country so far.
Molewa says out of these, over a dozen have been finalised in court.
"The Sihlangu case was finalised on the 26th of June 2017 with charges that included trespassing and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The sentence was 17 years imprisonment. We are putting this deliberately here for us to understand that even for this charge which would never [have received] heavy sentences. Now, it's 17 years for a charge like this one," she said.