Rhino horn smuggling syndicate suspects granted bail

A major transnational rhino trafficking syndicate has allegedly been dismantled by the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, the Hawks, arrested six suspects believed to be involved in a million-rand rhino horn trafficking network. 

Five men aged between 49 and 84, as well as one female aged 60, were arrested following a seven-year investigation by the Hawks into the transnational trafficking of rhino horns. 

The group appeared in the Pretoria Magistrates Court on August 19, facing charges of fraud, theft, the contravention of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act, possible racketeering, and money laundering. 

The suspects allegedly applied to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) for permits to sell rhino horns locally.

According to the SAPS, this is legal under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) 

This is if the rhino horns are sold to South African citizens and both the seller and the buyer have the appropriate permits. The DFFE is the only body that can issue these permits

The group, despite having permission to sell rhino horn locally, is accused of exporting the horns to illegal markets in Southeast Asia. 

“The identified fraudulent permits scheme account for an estimated 964 rhino horns with an estimated value of millions of rands,” the HAWKS said. 

The investigation found that the DFFE was defrauded by a “well-designed scheme” by the suspects to traffic the rhino horns internationally. 

DFFE minister Dion George hailed the arrests as a decisive victory in the fight against wildlife crime. 

“Let there be no doubt: South Africa will bring the full force of its laws against those who plunder our wildlife. This arrest proves that syndicates cannot escape justice, no matter how complex their schemes,” George said. 

World’s biggest rhino breeder among suspects

According to rhino poaching organisation Save the Rhino, John Hume, who was previously a breeder and owner of the world’s largest captive rhino operation, and his lawyer Isak du Toit, have been confirmed as two of the suspects. 

Hume took the South African government to the Constitutional Court in 2016 to allow domestic trade in rhino horns, the same domestic trade regulations that were used to mask the syndicate. 

The South African government banned domestic trade in rhino horn in 2009. The ban was reversed in 2017, with the court ruling that there had been inadequate prior consultation.

After the ban was lifted, Hume was widely publicised for holding an online auction for the sale of 264 rhino horns on a website with translations into Mandarin and Vietnamese. 

Details on the sale and profit gained from the auction were never disclosed, but Hume said that he was “disappointed” with the results and blamed the government ban and adverse publicity for the lack of interest. 

Other suspects include Clive Melville, Catherina van Niekerk, Matheus Poggenpoel and Johannes Hennop. 

Clive Melville, John Hume’s cousin’s half-brother, was arrested in 2019 in one of the biggest rhino horn seizures in South Africa’s history.

He was charged with illegally transporting 167 rhino horns on Hume’s behalf, according to Save the Rhino.

Although Melville said he was transporting the horns for Hume, who had the correct permits, he was arrested for not having the correct permits to transport the horns through the North West Province. 

Van Niekerk is the director of a non-profit organisation, and Hennop is a game reserve manager.

All of the accused were granted bail as they were not deemed to be flight risks. Hume was granted R100 000 bail, Melville and Van Niekerk were granted R10 000 bail and the remaining suspects were granted R20 000 bail.

The matter has been postponed to December 9 for further investigation. Until then, all the accused are required to submit their travel documents and report to a police station once a week.

Save The Rhino said that these cases show the extent of continued organised crime networks profiting from wildlife crime. 516 rhinos were poached in Africa in 2024 alone. 

“These arrests send a clear signal that rhino horn trafficking and associated serious organised crimes will be investigated thoroughly and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” said Save the Rhino CEO Dr Jo Shaw. 

“Disrupting transnational organised crime is essential to stopping poaching, allowing populations to recover and ensuring rhinos have a future in the wild.”