Two men have been sentenced for the illegal possession and transportation of abalone.
They were sentenced in the Edenburg Regional Court to five years’ direct imprisonment each.
On Friday, 4 July, the Edenburg Regional Court sentenced Mxolisi Andrew Khinana (32) and Mduduzi Nephtaly Phafoli (43) on charges of possession of abalone without a permit and illegal transportation thereof under Marine Act.
The conviction and sentencing originated from 4 June 2023, when the Trompsburg Highway Patrol members who were conducting patrol duties on the N1 just outside Trompsburg stopped a white Toyota bakkie with a canopy. Upon searching the back of the bakkie, police found black refuse bags filled with abalone. The accused were arrested on the spot.
“The head of the Hawks in the Free State, Major Gen. Mokgadi Bokaba, has applauded the outstanding investigative work by the team,” says WO Fikiswa Matoti, media liaison officer for the Free State SAPS.
