Rustenburg - A man has been sentenced to a R70 000 fine or five years imprisonment in the Northern Cape for possession of a pangolin skin.
Jerome Ignatius Joseph was sentenced at the Upington Regional Court, after he entered into a formal plea and sentence agreement with the state.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Joseph was subsequently sentenced to a fine of R70 000 or 5 years’ imprisonment, for possession of pangolin skin.
He was further sentenced to three years imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years, on a count of illegal transportation of pangolin.
Joseph was arrested on October 31, 2020, after Warrant Officer Abraham van Wyk received information that he had a pangolin skin, as well as uncut diamonds.
The police went to Joseph's house and he granted them permission to search the premises.
"The house was searched, but nothing of importance was found. The search was extended to the vehicle of the accused, which was on the premises, and a black carry bag was found in its boot. Inside the black bag, they discovered a transparent plastic bag containing pangolin skin, but no diamonds were found on the scene," said NPA spokesperson in the Northern Cape division, Mojalefa Senokoatsane.
"The accused explained to the police members that he was keeping the pangolin skin for someone else. The accused was charged with two counts, one being illegal possession of the pangolin skin, and the second being its illegal transportation.
"The skin was sent to Marnus Smit, a production scientist at the Northern Cape department of agriculture and environmental affairs, and he confirmed that the skin belonged to the genus Temminck pangolin, which is listed as a threatened or protected species, in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, No. 10 of 2004, and is also listed as specially protected in terms of the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Act," Senokoatsane said during arguments in mitigation and aggravation prior to sentencing.
Prosecutor Alex Tyers argued that the Temminck pangolin is listed as “vulnerable” in the latest Red listings for Mammals of Southern Africa (2016), and populations were declining due to continued poaching.
The State further contended that, in the words of Prof Raymond Jansen, a world-renowned specialist in pangolins and founder of the African Pangolin Working Group, "pangolins are the most illegally traded mammals on earth, who have no natural predators, except for man".
The State submitted that a clear message must be sent out that this conduct, that threatened wildlife and biodiversity in general, would not be tolerated.
The ground pangolin, also known as Temminck's pangolin, Cape pangolin or steppe pangolin, is one of four species of pangolin which can be found in Africa, and the only one in southern and eastern Africa.
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