Rhino poaching suspect commits suicide
2010-11-09 23:08



Marietie Louw-Carstens, Beeld


Johannesburg - A man who was allegedly involved in the illegal sale of rhino horns in Limpopo killed himself on Tuesday night.

Tommy Fourie, 51, from a farm in the Musina district, committed suicide just after 19:00.

Fourie had allegedly sold 36 rhino horns illegally to Jacques Els, a game farmer from Thabazimbi.

Police spokesperson Ronel Otto confirmed on Tuesday night that Fourie had shot himself. He had apparently gone to a hill near the farmstead late in the afternoon.

Beeld has learned that he shot himself with a hunting rifle, after he phoned a friend and told him of his plan.

The Musina police were still on their way to the scene late on Tuesday.

Sale of horns

Fourie appeared in the Musina Magistrate’s Court early in September charged with the illegal sale of 36 rhino horns.

He was released on R5 000 bail.

Els also appeared in the Musina Magistrate’s Court last month and was released on R30 000 bail. Fourie would have appeared in court again along with Els on January 28.

Investigators into a rhino poaching syndicate, of which 11 suspected members were arrested in September, said Fourie and Els are not involved with the group, yet Beeld sources said they are part of the syndicate.

Dawie Groenewald, the suspected mastermind, his wife and two vets from Modimolle are among the 11 suspected members of the syndicate.

I've heard Dawie called a lot of things, but MASTERMIND certainly wasn't one of 'em!

quote:

Tommy Fourie, 51, from a farm in the Musina district, committed suicide just after 19:00.

Coward in life and death.

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:

quote:

Tommy Fourie, 51, from a farm in the Musina district, committed suicide just after 19:00.

Coward in life and death.

ANN I think, guilty or not, I'd most likely rather commit suicide than just the posibility of spending years in an African prison! It would be a death sentence either way, and the rifles is better than what he would experience in that lock-up!

I agree that he deserved what ever he got, however!

All that is left now is to dig the hole!

...........................................

awe

Greed is a terrible thing. Greed, in conjunction with a total absence of a moral compass, is devastating.

Now if it would just become a trend think how much tax money could be saved. Both on the trial and on support their sorry butts in prison.

It would have been better if Tommy Fourie had cut a deal to save his own ass. Turning 'State's evidence' against the Out of Africa gang would have gone a long way in getting those 36 rhino horns 'forgotten' by the police.

If Tommy wasn't afraid of killing himself, why should he fear the South African mafia or the Chinese Triads? Now that he is dead, he is of no value as a witness for the law, but his absence of testimony is of great value to the poaching syndicate.

I hope that SAPS' best forensic people are all over this one, despite phone records or the testimony of anyone concerning his final phone call.

If Dawie had been a 'mastermind', he would have been smart enough to keep his mouth shut to me about how much he hated the white Zimbabwean farmers, and how glad he was that Mugabe was running them off their farms. He further went on to say, "'We' (meaning all South Africans) don't want them down hear either". Then he bragged to me about how he was going to be running the safari business in Zim with his new 'partners'. He really had delusions of grandeur for a thick little dwarf, but I guess that goes with the territory.

It always appeared to me that he was just a mid level enforcer following the orders of the real masterminds... but what do I know?

Cheers,

~ Alan

I have always been concerned about the number of possible homicides that have been ruled as suicides. Seems we could be much more thorough in our forensics.

Agreed.

sounds like forced suicide to me. Forced suicide is not uncommon in Africa.

I'd guess he had help, especially if he had a family he cared about.

Rich

Cops: Suicide won't impede rhino case
2010-11-10 22:31


Polokwane - Limpopo police say the death of an alleged rhino horn dealer on Tuesday night will not have a negative impact on their investigation into poaching in the province.

Tommy Fourie, 51, who was out on R5 000 bail after he was charged in September in connection with the illegal sale of 36 rhino horns, is thought to have committed suicide on Tuesday evening on a farm outside Musina.

"Fourie's death is bad news, but our investigations are at an advanced stage and there is a strong possibility that we'll be able to make more arrests in the near future," said police spokesperson Ronel Otto on Wednesday.

Fourie was the manager on a privately-owned game farm called Marinani.

According to Otto, he went missing on Tuesday afternoon from the farm's homestead.

"His family looked for him for some hours until they found him on a small hill at about 18:00.

"He had a gunshot wound to the forehead, which suggests that he had committed suicide using his licensed .38 special revolver that was lying next to him," said Otto.

A distant family member, who did not want to be named, suggested that Fourie did not have a financial incentive for being involved in rhino poaching.

"It is very strange that Tom would be involved in rhino poaching while he was earning a good salary of R80 000 a month from his bosses, who are staying in Denmark."


- African Eye

if this guy had 50 human heads in his freezer that would be one thing. for you people to derive so much glee from some guy that blew his head off over poaching rinos is despicable. let him be have more peace now than he did then.

Sad to say, I feel more sorrow for these rhino than I can manage for some humans.

Still, there is nothing in me that can celebrate a suicide.

quote:

Originally posted by Pennsyltucky:
if this guy had 50 human heads in his freezer that would be one thing. for you people to derive so much glee from some guy that blew his head off over poaching rinos is despicable. let him be have more peace now than he did then.

Mate, reviewing the posts, I don't see any glee being derived from his suicide.

I see humour about someone else also involved in the same thing and I see speculation about whether the suicide was suicide, or what one might call encouraged suicide and perhaps even a different death made to look like suicide...... but I don't see glee.

As for his death whether it be suicide or something else. As has been said elsewhere, you sow thw wind and you reap the whirlwind.

I might have sympathy for his his family but I don't have any for him I'm afraid. He was an adult that chose to get involved in dodgy dealings. He got caught and he paid the price.

My only regret is that his testimony could have been useful to the prosecution.

Suicide?

Yep, he shot himself 3 times in the head.

quote:

"It is very strange that Tom would be involved in rhino poaching while he was earning a good salary of R80 000 a month from his bosses, who are staying in Denmark."

Unless ranch manager salaries have skyrocketed in the last couple of years, this seems like a gross exaggeration of his salary.

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

quote:

Originally posted by Pennsyltucky:
if this guy had 50 human heads in his freezer that would be one thing. for you people to derive so much glee from some guy that blew his head off over poaching rinos is despicable. let him be have more peace now than he did then.

Mate, reviewing the posts, I don't see any glee being derived from his suicide.

I see humour about someone else also involved in the same thing and I see speculation about whether the suicide was suicide, or what one might call encouraged suicide and perhaps even a different death made to look like suicide...... but I don't see glee.

As for his death whether it be suicide or something else. As has been said elsewhere, you sow thw wind and you reap the whirlwind.

I might have sympathy for his his family but I don't have any for him I'm afraid. He was an adult that chose to get involved in dodgy dealings. He got caught and he paid the price.

My only regret is that his testimony could have been useful to the prosecution.

Didnt know the man, but knew of him. as i have been told he was no crook, he made a stupid decision.

this is what i have been told "the property that he managed wanted their Rhino dehorned - which they duly did. the horns were kept under his safekeeping and knews got out that he had them, long story short he was convinced by someone to sell the horns which he did, the proceedings from the horns minus a comission were put into the companies account. when this whole balloon popped he came clean and told the police everything he knew - he would of been charged with illegal trading with a suspended sentence and a hefty fine, needless to say he had recieved various threats and had become shunned by previous friends and together with him being depressed about all the above lead him to do what he did"


I feel for the mans family, everyone makes stupid decisions in life.

i am not condoning the Rhino Poaching, nor do i have sympathy for those directly involved - its just the colateral damage. Greed is a bitch

quote:

Originally posted by John Frederick:
Suicide?

Yep, he shot himself 3 times in the head.

Sounds like a line from "Analyz That". One of the jurors committed suicide, "He stabbed himself in the back four times and threw himself off a bridge."

It seems to me with a bond of only R5000, that he wasn't in that much trouble with the law. Maybe a fine and probation, but little if any time to serve in prison. He could have done a lot to rehabilitate himself and his reputation with the community by testifying for the State against the rhino poaching syndicate.

I am surprised that this was enough to drive him to suicide, and I really don't buy into the story that he was just depressed. I could be wrong, as depression has killed a lot of people who were rich and famous and didn't appear to have any reason to kill themselves, but this just seems fishy to me.

Anyway, I am not happy to hear of Tommy Fourie's death, however there are some others who are involved whose loss would be no big deal.

Like I said, I hope SAPS has their best detectives and forensics people on this one.

Cheers,

~ Alan

quote:

"It is very strange that Tom would be involved in rhino poaching while he was earning a good salary of R80 000 a month from his bosses, who are staying in Denmark."

Maybe there is an opening for a new manager - I'll go for R50 000.00 a month, my financial woes could be a thing of the past !!!!!!1

Ridiculous wage !!!!!!!!!!!