Leader of notorious poaching gang arrested
The Mozambican authorities have arrested the leader of the most notorious poaching ring in the country, Simon Ernesto Valoi, reports Friday’s issue of the independent newssheet “Carta de Mocambique”.
Valoi is known as “Navara”, because his favourite car used to be a Nissan Navara. That was in the days when he made his money from car theft, before switching to poaching.
Valoi is also wanted in South Africa on two charges of murder. His whereabouts have never been a mystery – he lives in Massingir district, in the southern Mozambican province of Gaza. His home is in the settlement of Mavodze, inside the Limpopo National Park.
He achieved a certain level of fame in 2015 when a German journalist from the magazine “Der Spiegel”, Batholomaus Grill, and the Swiss photographer Toby Selander were investigating rhino poaching. The poachers kidnapped the two journalists and threatened to kill them.
Grill’s “Der Spiegel” article recalls how the journalisgts were “surrounded by 50 or 60 people, apparently mobilized by Navara. Young men threaten us with their fists and curse at us: 'Spies! Secret police from South Africa!'
Instead of arresting the rhino poachers, the Massingir police laid absurd charges against the journalists for trespassing on Navara’s property. Navara and other gang members were present during the police interrogations.
“One of them threatens that we'll be thrown in there, alongside imprisoned murderers. 'And during the night we will sort you out.' For Navara, it wouldn't be a problem”, wrote Grill.” Everybody in Massingir knows that he works with the police. He supposedly even arms his teams of poachers by 'leasing' confiscated assault rifles from the local police station.”
The local police chief “is openly on Navara's side”, and only changes his attitude when senior officials ring from Maputo, after they have been alerted to the situation by the German embassy.
Eventually, the two had to appear in a Massingir court where “a prosecutor tells us that we are under investigation and that we are not allowed to leave Mozambique for another five days”. They were only allowed to fly back to South Africa when a prosecutor in Maputo assured them that trespassing charges had not in fact been filed.
The “Der Spiegel” article commented “in areas like Massingir, the rule of law has yet to arrive. Here, police officers and public prosecutors are to be feared just as much as gang leaders. It's an open secret that powerful politicians make money from the deals and, in exchange, protect the gangs from criminal prosecution”.
The question now is – will Navara remain in detention? Are high level officials still protecting him? And will he be sent to South Africa to face the pending murder charges?
(AIM)
