In a joint operation by various disciplines of the South African Police Service, including the Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West Organised Crime Units, the Gauteng Provincial Task Team, together with South African National Parks, arrested and charged 11 suspects in connection with the poaching of black and white rhino last week.

Over the years, there has been sporadic slaughtering of rhinos in national and provincial parks and private game reserves in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West Provinces. Since 2006, several rhino were shot and their horns were hacked out, in some cases, brutally while the animal(s) were still alive.
 
The close working relationship between members from the three provinces and the parks authority resulted in the tracking and arrest of five Mozambicans, three men (two Cape Town-based businessmen and a medical doctor from Bruma Lake), two South Africans and one person of unknown nationality. The team also recovered two AK-47 rifles, four .303 rifles and R16 000 cash.
 
These suspects have all been charged with illegal hunting of game within national parks, unlawful possession and dealing in rhino horn and unlawful possession of firearms. The suspects have all appeared in courts around the three provinces, but all the cases will be consolidated and brought before a single court soon.
 
The rhino horns are suspected to have been sold to the eastern market for between R18 000 to R25 000 per kilogram, with the horns weighing between 8 and 11 kilograms each.
The chief executive officer of South African National Parks (SANParks), Dr David Mabunda, said that rhino poaching seems to be escalating throughout the world and it is encouraging to see that the excellent cooperation between SANParks and the SAPS in South Africa has been able to achieve such good results in apprehending these callous offenders.
“South Africa is one of a growing number of countries in the world where environmental crime is no longer tolerated and this intensive operation is further evidence of this fact,” said Dr Mabunda (Photo and article: KNP’s Raymond Travers)