Mzimba was the lead Ranger at the reserve. According to an interview he gave last year, he reminded himself that he was working for the greater good by protecting rhinos.
Mr. Mzimba said in the interview that he was not doing it for his own benefit. When I die, I want my children to enjoy the wildlife, so I am doing this for them.
Mr. Mzimba was killed in front of his family on July 26th. His wife did not survive the shooting. Concerns have been raised that criminal syndicates may be getting more violent in their efforts to get illegal wildlife products.
The Greater Kruger landscape is home to elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, leopards and cheetahs. Mr. Mzimba was known for being an incorruptible man.
Ruben de Kock is the operations manager for LEAD Ranger, a professional training group. He was the best Ranger.
The police unit leading the investigation into Mr. Mzimba's killing doesn't know if the attack had anything to do with his work or private life
Andrew Campbell, the chief executive of the Game Rangers Association of Africa, said that it would appear to be the most likely reason for the attack.
Mr Mzimba's dedication to defending wildlife seems to have been a factor. He said that anton was a man of integrity and wouldn't let protection of rhinos go to waste.
The fact that syndicates went ahead with this means that Anton was a serious threat to them.
Rangers in Africa face high levels of danger, even though they risk their lives every day. In politically unstable places like the Democratic Republic ofCongo, militia groups often clash with rangers.
52 percent of the African rangers who have died in the line of duty have been homicides. He said that the number of deaths has increased, with a record high of 92 rangers last year.
The death of Mr. Mzimba is an escalation from the norm. These syndicates are now comfortable doing mob-style hits.
Mr. Campbell said it was likely that Mr. Mzimba was targeted because of his high profile. He was named Field Ranger of the Year and featured in an upcoming film. A program that connects 10,000 South African students a week to their natural heritage was started by him as a technical adviser with the Global Corps.
John Jurko II said that Antony was one of the most gentle and loving humans, but also a warrior. The rhinos were being defended from threats from the criminals.
Mr. Mzimba and his family moved to South Africa in order to find better jobs. He began his career in the field when he was hired to remove plants in Timbavati. A full-time position was offered to Mr. Mzimba, who was just 17 at the time.
Within a decade, Mr. Mzimba became head of the Timbavati Ranger Corps. He said that the person made it from the bottom to the top.
Mr. Mzimba was renowned for his loyalty and he viewed wildlife protection as his duty as a Christian.
The poor men who sneaked into the reserve to hunt animals for food were the ones Mr. Mzimba caught. Organized criminal syndicates aggressively pursued rhino horns, which were in high demand in China, Vietnam and other Asian countries. Mr. Mzimba said that they went from killing animals for meat to killing animals for money.
South Africa is home to 75 percent of the world's remaining white and black rhinos. Over the last 13 years, 9,353 rhinos have been killed for their horns in South Africa. The number of rhinos killed in South Africa decreased from a high in the previous year, but the problem is still significant.
The founding director of StopRhinoPoaching.com said that they were holding the line. The effort to hold that line comes at a huge financial and physical cost.
Mr. Mzimba was not the only one who received death threats. Mr. de Kock said that the syndicates tried to break him and he wouldn't break.
Mr. Mzimba opened an intimidation docket with the police to report threats related to his work. "We were hoping that the people who were threatening his life would be arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder."
Mr. Mzimba was told in May that he was on a hit list. Mr. de Kock and his wife were willing to let Mr. Mzimba and his family stay at their home in another part of the country.
Two people went to Mr. Mzimba's home on July 26 and claimed that their vehicle had broken down and they needed water. When Mr. Mzimba's son went to get the water, they shot him. His wife is in the hospital.
No arrests have been made, but it's safe to say that we haven't stopped looking.
Mr. Mzimba is not the first high-profile environmentalist to have their life cut short. Wayne Lotter, co-director of the PAMS Foundation, an anti-poaching group in Tanzania, was shot dead in a car on his way home from the airport. Krissie Clark said that the loss of Wayne was a big eye-opener for them.
Lieutenant-Col. will be in 2020 A South African police detective was shot and killed while on his way to work. After dropping his daughter off at school, Bajila Obed KoFA was shot and killed in his car.
The director of East and Southern Africa at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime said that South Africa has suffered from high levels of assassinations tied to politics and organized crime. It's feared that such killings may become more of a norm for those working in the field.
It will have a chilling effect on other rangers if Mr. Mzimba's killers aren't brought to justice.
According to the Institute for Security Studies, only 19 percent of murders in South Africa are solved. Mr. Pierce and his colleagues were frustrated by the lack of speed in the investigation. "Anton's legacy needs to be honoured and we need to get to the bottom of this." This is seen as a high priority case.
The murder cases are of the highest priority. We will make a quick arrest whenever we get something.
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