Pretoria - The Nelspruit Regional Court has sentenced a rhino poacher to 11 years imprisonment.
The accused, Abel Mashabane, was found guilty on charges of poaching and trespassing at the Kruger National Park.
Mashabane had been apprehended by the Special Forces, in the company of two other assailants.
One of them was killed in the crossfire, as the assailants were armed and opened fire when they were discovered. The other assailant escaped and is still at large.
The National Prosecuting Authority commended the sentence, saying it will bolster the fight against rhino poaching.
The ruling comes days after the Environmental Affairs Ministry announced that 367 rhinos have been poached in the since the beginning of the year.
The Kruger National Park was the hardest hit, with 247 animals being killed in the park since the beginning of the year.
In the North West, 35 rhino have been poached, 33 in KwaZulu-Natal, 28 in Limpopo, 23 in Mpumalanga and one in Gauteng. - SAnews.gov.za
