June 30 2010 at 11:00AM

A family from Thabazimbi in Limpopo say their quick thinking and smart snapping on Sunday led to the grounding of a helicopter at Lanseria airport, believed to have been used by suspected rhino poachers.

But despite the photographs Piet van Rensburg's family took of the helicopter just after lunch, no one seems to know whether two men who flew in it were held or questioned about their alleged activities.

The police at Muldersdrift and Randburg yesterday did not know anything about the incident, the helicopter or the fate of the men.

Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Govindsamy Mariemuthoo also did not know any details about the supposed bust.

South African Civil Aviation Authority spokesman Kabelo Ledwaba said: "We have been notified about this matter and the SAPS is investigating it with the full co-operation of the Civil Aviation Authority."

The aviation body could not give more information, he said.

But several pilots responded to the photographs which Van Rensburg posted on the aviation website Avcom, saying it was clear the helicopter was being used for illegal activity.

Van Rensburg said he noticed the blue R44 helicopter flying very low over his farm on Sunday.

The helicopter's registration numbers were concealed, which raised suspicion, he said.

When the helicopter landed on a rocky outcrop on the farm, he became concerned about the pilot's motives.

His son-in-law decided to drive up to the helicopter for a closer look.

The family posted the following on Avcom: "We surprised them while going up the mountain - they landed on top of Mambakop due west of Thabazimbi - and literally forced started and dropped off the mountain to get the correct speed.

"We could have shot the tail rotor off if we wanted too, but being Sunday and a family day we did not travel with the rifles."

Nel said there has been increased poacher activity in the area recently.

Other posts on Avcom said the same helicopter was spotted flying low in the Warmbaths and Nylstroom areas earlier in the week.

The helicopter was also spotted last Thursday flying above a park in Krugersdorp. "We have been chasing these guys for a long time."

Van Rensburg was delighted that the photographs elicited such a strong response from other pilots who had also spotted the helicopter.

But he was concerned that the pilot working with the suspected poachers would also read about the investigation on the Avcom website.

Nel said the matter has been handed to the Pretoria Crime Unit for further investigation.

But several calls to the Pretoria Central police station failed to confirm whether such an investigation was under way.

Warrant Officer Dennis Jones of Muldersdrift police station said the matter was being dealt with by the Honeydew precinct and the provincial department of the SAPS.

Captain Lydia Mtila-Dikomela at Honeydew said she had not heard anything about the grounded helicopter.

She referred queries to Warrant Officer Johannes Maja at Randburg police station who also had no information about the incident.

Helicopter poachers in KwaZulu-Natal slashed off the horn of a heavily drugged white rhino with a chainsaw last week. The rhino survived, despite its injuries. - Additional reporting by Sapa


This article was originally published on page 5 of Pretoria News on June 30, 2010