KwaZulu-Natal Police are investigating a murder case.
WARNING: This article contains images that may disturb sensitive readers.
- Up to 20 suspected poachers shot people on a houseboat on the east coast of the Jozini dam on Wednesday morning.
- About 20 elephants have been killed in the area recently.
- The Pongola police have opened an attempted murder case.
A boat cruise along the eastern shores of KwaZulu-Natal’s Jozini Dam turned into a nightmare for guests as they were shot at by suspected poachers on Wednesday morning.
The guests were sailing on a houseboat on the dam when suspected poachers, reportedly hunting elephants in the area, opened fire.
KwaZulu-Natal Police spokesman Colonel Robert Netshiunda said: “Pongola Police are investigating cases of attempted murder following an incident where a group of people were allegedly shot on 11 January 2023. at the Jozini dam.
“Reports indicate that a group of people, including tourists, were on a wildlife viewing tour. [tour] on a boat when unknown suspects started shooting at the animals,” he added.
“It is also reported that after realizing they were being watched, the suspects allegedly randomly shot people on the boat. No injuries were reported and police investigations are continuing,” Netshiunda said.
Pongola Game Reserve wildlife monitor Suzette Boshoff, who was on the boat at the time of the attack, said it was pure luck that they were able to escape the heavily armed men who shot at them.
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“Around 10:30 I noticed two men approaching the boat. However, the boat we were on was a double decker with three guests on top who saw more than we saw on the bottom. They saw the least 20 men in the bush, heavily armed and pointing their weapons at the boat,” Boshoff said.
“Two shots were fired at the boat, and as we pulled away two more shots were fired.”
An elephant that died in the Jozini Dam in KwaZulu-Natal on New Year’s Day.
supplied
The group, consisting of Boshoff, the skipper, seven international guests from Germany and the United States, as well as two local guests, narrowly escaped the gunfire by ducking inside the boat, avoiding the ricocheting bullets.
According to Boshoff, around 5:00 p.m., the poachers returned and shot more elephants in that specific area. Boshoff said there was a lack of police visibility in the area and the crime scene had not yet been declared.
“These men were heavily armed in broad daylight. At the time an elephant is killed, we need to obtain DNA samples from the elephant so we can link the tusks to the crime scene. It is important that the police declare the crime scene before the poachers can return and remove the fangs. [police officer] had been deployed in that area.”
Boshoff said poachers in the area had grown so arrogant that they even called on local communities to collect elephant meat after killing them.
Little was known about how many elephants were killed in Wednesday’s attack, as conservationists were unable to go to the scene without protection agencies.
According to Boshoff, a total of 20 elephants have been lost in the area recently and one died in front of guests on January 1.
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“Getting the police and hawks visible in the area is taking time we don’t have as every moment counts. We need more troops on the ground with weapons. Poachers also know how to dispose of the carcass quickly so we need to to react within the 24-hour window, which is crucial for wildlife research,” Boshoff said.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesman Musa Mntambo said little information was available about the incident at the time of speaking to News24.
“Currently I don’t have complete information, but what I do know is that a group of nine people were seen hunting elephants in that area. The information we have now is that the shooting that took place was targeting the elephants and not the tourists,” Mntambo said.
“Tourists could have been in the vicinity and witnessed the shooting,” he added.
