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The Rhodesia Herald,
January 26, 1972
THREE youths had a running battle with three policemen who attempted to arrest them for poaching, Bulawayo Regional Court was told yesterday.
During the chase, which was in bush and over about 64km of road, 12 shots were fired, it was said.
The youths – Frederick Johannes Herbst Jnr (19) and two others aged 16 and 18, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder. They admitted, and were found guilty of common assault.
The magistrate, Mr H Hastings, jailed Herbst for nine months.
The 18-year-old youth was given a suspended sentence of six months and was ordered to get six cuts.
The 16-year-old had sentence conditionally postponed for two years and was ordered to be placed under the supervision of a probation officer.
Herbst and the 18-year-old were remanded on $50 bail pending appeal against sentence.
Patrol Officer G Nichollis told the court that he and another patrol officer and an African constable went to Essexvale Farm at about 9pm on October 23 last year; after receiving a complaint about poachers.
They followed the tracks of a Land Rover while the complainant, Mr Murray, blocked the exit road from the farm to White’s Run Road.
P/O Nicholls said they came upon the Land-Rover in the bush. Constable Ngwenya was told to cycle towards the vehicle.
Soon afterwards, there was the sound of a shot followed by shouting. Two more shots were fired, the bullets passing between himself and another European officer, he said.
P/O Nicholls said he then saw Const Ngwenya running through the bush shouting: “They are shooting at me.”
The Land-Rover’s lights flashed on and it was driven off. He said he fired two shots at the vehicle in an attempt to stop it as it passed.
He said the youths drove through a gap in the road blocking, covering the exit from the farm, and they gave chase.
Each time they got a close as about 100 metres to the Land-Rover they were shot at, he said.
The three youths, and Frederick Johannes Herbst Snr, the father of Frederick Herbst Jnr, were later remanded until February 8 to Bulawayo Magistrate’s Court for alleged contraventions of the Wild Life Conservation Act.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Everyone has a role to play in the fight against poaching.
Deterrent sentences must be slapped on those found guilty of poaching. This will also act as a warning to would-be offenders.
There is need for awareness programmes, so that communities appreciate the benefits that can be accrued from having a vibrant wildlife sectors.
Firearms must be kept in safe and secure places.
With modern day poachers becoming increasingly sophisticated, there is an urgent need to invest in the use of technology, such as drones and trackers.
Online Reporter