Eleven people accused of being members of a rhino-poaching syndicate were released on bail in the Musina Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Game farmer Dawie Groenewald was released on R1-million bail and his wife, Sariette, on R100 000 bail.
Veterinarian Karel Toet was released on R50 000 bail while his wife, Mariza Toet, was released on R20 000, and his colleague, veterinarian Manie du Plessis, was released on R20 000 bail.
The other accused, professional hunter Tielman Roos Erasmus, Dewald Gouws, Nordus Rossouw, Leon van der Merwe and Jacobus Marthinus Pronk, were released on R20 000 bail each while Paul Matoromela received R5 000 bail.
Their bail conditions included that they would not be allowed to tamper with 32 rhinos currently on Groenewald’s game farm, Pragtig, in Musina.
They had to hand in their passports and identity documents and had to give the police a week’s notice if they wanted to leave the province.
The 11 accused nodded in agreement when the magistrate asked them if they understood the bail conditions.
The case was postponed to April 11.
Meanwhile, the South African Press Association (Sapa) on Wednesday expressed dismay at the detention of two photographers and a cameraman for taking pictures of the suspected rhino poachers before their first court appearance.
Sapa editor Mark van der Velden described the incident as an “embarrassment to the police”.
“Sapa is dismayed that such a senior officer — a station commander nogal — obviously did not know the police force’s own internal rules and media guidelines, which would have confirmed that the photographers were operating legitimately and should not have been interfered with in any way — least of all the spectacle of detaining them and hauling them into his office,” said Van der Velden.
“The situation would be even worse if the commander knew the rules but ignored them,” he added.
Sapa photographer Werner Beukes, Beeld photographer Herman Verwey and SABC cameraman Lewellyn Carstens were held for 45 minutes at the Musina police station on Wednesday morning before bing released. — Sapa