Poor pay price for rich crooks

2006-03-23 20:29

Sakhile Mokoena

Nelspruit - Wealthy people are running cycad-dealing syndicates in Mpumalanga, but only the poor, who do the dirty work, are being arrested.

So said Jimmy Masombuka of Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Authority on Thursday.

He said rich people hired the poor to steal endangered plants, and "pay them peanuts".

"And, only the poor get arrested because they are caught with the plants," he said.

In the most-recent bust, 13 people, among them a policeman, were arrested when they were found with endangered cycads worth more than R600 000.

They appeared in Graskop magistrate's court on Wednesday last week, on charges of illegal possession of, and dealing in, endangered cycads.

Six were granted bail while the rest were denied bail because of previous convictions.

They are due to appear again on April 18.

- African Eye