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Johannesburg – Two men who were arrested in connection with the attack on the Thula-Thula Rhino Orphanage in northern KwaZulu-Natal are expected to appear in court in Ermelo on Friday. They are charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
Police spokesperson Captain Carla Prinsloo told Netwerk24 that the two men, who are 33 and 36 years old, were arrested late on Tuesday afternoon on the road between Ermelo and Piet Retief.
A .458 hunting rifle was found under the bonnet of their bakkie.
The police are still investigating the rape of a foreign volunteer at the sanctuary during the attack.
The two men who were arrested are allegedly part of a gang of seven that is suspected of rhino poaching in Mpumalanga and the Kruger National Park.
The gang overpowered the security guards at Thula-Thula on Monday around midnight and went into the boma where the orphaned rhinos are kept. The woman was raped and other volunteers were assaulted.
Two of the rhinos, Impi and Gugu, were shot. Both of their horns were removed.
