WILDLEX

The two accused were convicted of various offences in terms of the Nature Conservation Ordinance 4 of 1975 ranging from illegal hunting of huntable protected and specially protected game (tortoise and oryx) to possession of the said game or their meat. The accused pleaded guilty to certain offences and not guilty to others.

Offence is alleged to have occurred on 7 September 2009 at or near Mahango Game Park (in the district of Rundu). The accused wrongfully and unlawfully hunted 3 kudus without a special permit. He was wrongly sentenced to a fine of N$3000 Namibian dollars or in default of payment 20 months’ imprisonment.

The appellant was caught dealing illegally in ivory and charged with contravening section 2(1)(a) of the AG Proclamation 42 of 1980 – the controlled Games Products Proclamation. As a result, he was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment and 18 months of the sentence was suspended.

Accused were caught skinning an oryx and being in possession of oryx meat. The accused were charged with hunting oryx (protected game) without a special permit. The accused were convicted of having contravened section 26(1) of Ordinance 4 of 1975 (hunting of specially protected game).

In the lower court, accused 1 and 2 were convicted of count 1, contravening sections 1,30(1)(b), (30)(1)(c), 85, 89 A of the Nature Conservation Ordinance 4 of 1975 as amended read with ss 90 and 250 of Act 51 of 1977. Accused 5 was convicted of the first alternative to count 1 – Possession of game meat contravening s 51 of Ordinance 4 of 1975.

This is an appeal case where the court looked into the procedure taken to try the matter at the lower court. The judges questioned whether the convictions in the trial court were duplicated.

The accused were charged with the unlawful exportation of controlled wildlife products:14 rhino horns on the first count and a leopard skin on the second count, as well as money laundering on count 3.

The accused, in this automatic review matter, was tried in the Grootfontein Magistrate’s Court, on one count of hunting specially protected game, (namely: a giraffe, valued at N$9000-00) in contravention of section 26(1) of Ordinance 40 of 1975. He was convicted as charged and sentenced to five years direct imprisonment.

The plaintiff who was arrested for theft of 2 zebra skins, spent 32 days in custody awaiting trial. His case was later withdrawn. He then claimed N$277 200.00 from the defendant for wrongfully and maliciously setting the law in motion by laying a false charge against him.

The appellants appeared before the District Magistrates’ Court on two charges of contravening the Nature Conservation Ordinance, 1975 relating to hunting specially protected game, (namely: three elephants) without a permit and possession of six elephant tusks.