The High Court ordered the release of three suspected rhino poachers on bail this week.
The court order was enforced in the Louis Trichardt Regional Court on Tuesday.
The three men, Januarie Machava (37), Juda Nyembe (38) and Matthew Pedro Ngwenya (42), accused of poaching rhinos in the Alldays area, lodged an appeal to the North Gauteng High Court to be released after they were initially denied bail earlier this year. All three were charged with single counts of attempted murder and the carrying out of a restricted activity on a protected species without the necessary permit.
According to information available, the three were arrested during a police trap in October last year in the Alldays area. This after the three had allegedly killed two rhinos and attempted to kill a third on a private game ranch in the area. They were arrested when they allegedly started shooting at police members who formed part of the trap.
The three men's bail application was denied in March, due to the fact that Machava and Ngwenya are Mozambicans and pose a possible flight risk. Nyembe is a South African, but has previous convictions and pending criminal cases against him.
During this bail application, the men claimed that it was their first time in the Alldays area and that they had merely wanted to buy vegetables, and specifically watermelons, to re-sell at their respective businesses in Gauteng. They further claimed that they had been strong-armed into admitting that they had been poaching in the area.
On Tuesday, bail was set at R5 000 for each of the men. The conditions of their bail, among others, stipulated that they could only be released from prison if they also handed in their passports and travelling documents. They are also to report to their nearest police station twice a day on Mondays and Thursdays.
Machava, Nyembe and Ngwenya are expected back in court on 30 and 31 July, when their trial starts. They will appear with two other accused, Thomas Sibanda (33) and Humbulani Reason Matutu (29), who were arrested at a later stage and had already been released on bail.
At the time of going to press, the men had their bail money ready, but were still making arrangements to hand in their passports.
In the meantime, Makhado businessman Yahya Shoeb Jiwa (45) will appear in the Louis Trichardt Regional Court on Monday, 16 July. The case against him follows an incident where he allegedly approached a SANParks ranger to buy a rhino horn and was subsequently arrested in a police trap in February last year. He was released on R80 000 bail during a previous court appearance.