A senior manager for environmental crime investigations at South African National Parks
was stormed and killed by a hippo on Saturday while camping in the Kruger National Park.
Kobus De Wet was one of SANParks’ senior managers in its environmental crime investigative unit based at Groenkloof in Pretoria.
In a statement on Sunday, SANParks said details of the incident were still sketchy and that an investigation was underway.
“SANParks executive management sends out sincere condolences to his immediate family, friends and the SANParks family,” it said.
SANParks spokesperson Ike Phaahla told the Mail & Guardian that De Wet’s death was a huge loss in the fight against rhino poaching.
“He was very dedicated and helpful and committed to his work. Most of the arrests that we make, we made especially outside [the Kruger National Park] because that was his expertise, tracing people outside,” Phaahla said.
“Remember that when we catch people in the park, we are reacting. But it’s more proactive outside — doing investigations, getting information and following up on that — and also to cement relations between ourselves and the law enforcement officers, agencies, outside like the Hawks and the DPCI [Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation] because we don’t have jurisdiction outside the park.
“So, he (De Wet) forged those relations, he forged the relations between ourselves and the Mozambican counterparts. He was a very, very resourceful person.”
Phaahla said that De Wet had “contributed a lot” to the arrest of Simon Ernesto Valoi, also known as “Navara”, a notorious Mozambican rhino poaching kingpin. Valoi was nabbed in July last year in a combined sting operation between Mozambican authorities and the Wildlife Justice Commission.
Arrangements for De Wet’s memorial and funeral are underway.
