Nine suspected perlemoen poachers were nabbed after shots were fired on the high seas near Robben Island.
The nine appeared in the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after cops chased them on their rubber duck just off the shore of Robben Island on
Monday.
The men from Hawston, Uitenhage and Port Elizabeth were caught in their wetsuits after they jumped ship, but not before allegedly attempting to get rid of the poached abalone and the illegal apparatus used to fish the perly.
The police allegedly opened fire on the group who then abandoned ship.
A police source says when the men saw they’d been spotted, they tried to get rid of the evidence and sped off in their rubber duck.
Cops gave chase and shots were allegedly fired, prompting the suspects to jump in the freezing water.
They were fished out by cops.
Gordon Alexander, Ismael Mani, Rudi Jephta, Marchell Fourie, Morne van Heerden, Wouter van Heerden, Rodney van der Mescht, Clayton Mienies and Jacque Feris are charged with the destruction or throwing overboard of fish or fish products and the possession of prohibited fishing gear.
They are being represented by lawyer Bruce Hendricks, who managed to get seven of his
clients bail.
Two were denied bail.
According to the docket, most of them have previous cases relating to the same charges.
The matter has been postponed to 29 July for further investigation.