Insiders describe why, and how, rangers sworn to protect wildlife collude with poaching syndicates slaughtering rhinos. Tulani Ngwenya investigates Despite integrity tests and modern surveillance technology, insiders at the Kruger National Park reveal that corruption persists systemically, fuelled by poverty wages, predatory debt cycles, and communal ties binding rogue rangers to syndicates. After months of building trust, Oxpeckers gained exclusive access to information from four people who have witnessed firsthand the dark realities of the illegal connections and how they operate. They described a world where financial pressure, coercion and broken systems converge to push even well-intentioned rangers into the orbit of rhino-poaching syndicates. Melusi*, a mid-level Kruger manager involved in anti-poaching…