Man bust with pangolin skin worth R425k handed suspended sentence

A 49-YEAR-old man from Rietfontein was sentenced to five years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, after he was convicted of being in possession of pangolin skin with an estimated street value of R425,000.

The man, Johannes Kock, was also sentenced to three years imprisonment, wholly suspended for three years, for money laundering on May 27.

The SAPS spokesperson in the ZF Mgcawu District, Sergeant Omphile Masegela, said the police confiscated the pangolin skin in the Rietfontein area on May 6, 2023.

“The SAPS management in the Northern Cape acknowledged the swift response by Witdraai Vispol (Visible Policing unit) members and the investigating officer, Warrant Officer Jacques Ockhuys from the Upington Stock Theft and Endangered Species unit,” Masegela added.