Viewing boat gets caught in the middle as poachers fire at wildlife

Posted by Jordyn Johnson on 12 January 2023

Update: an earlier version of this article started that a “houseboat” was involved in the crossfire. Please note that a viewing boat is seen in the video depicted, not a houseboat.

A video has emerged of a viewing boat with 12 tourists – 8 foreigners and 4 South Africans – being fired upon by suspected elephant poachers.

At about 10:30 am on Wednesday morning, 12 January, while taking a boat tour to spot elephants along the Jozini/ Pongolapoort Dam in northern Kwazulu Natal, 12 tourists were told to get down as around 20 gunmen fired upon them.

The gunmen are thought to be linked to the recent killings of over 25 elephants, among other illegal poaching activities, reports the Daily Maverick.

DA KZN spokesperson on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), Heinz de Boer, has spoken up about both the poaching incidents and the danger to tourists. De Boer said that the DA ‘condemns in the strongest possible terms – and again calls for national intervention – as the Pongola Lake erupts into an elephant poaching slaughterhouse.

‘Furthermore, the DA has now also received video and photographic evidence of a tour boat coming under fire by armed gangs. The rampant lawlessness and decimation of flora and fauna within this community has long been highlighted, with the conflict brewing for years.’

The DA has said that they will ‘escalate the ongoing war against poaching to the highest levels of government and demand swift the arrests of those who believe they can destroy our natural heritage and tourism sector.’

Watch as tourists hide from gunfire attack:

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