According to the spokesperson of the Hawks, Hangwani Mulaudzi, the two were arrested on Saturday morning in the Hartbeespoort Dam area following a tip-off that there was a car transporting rhino horns. OFM News’ Pulane Choane reports that Mulaudzi said that this has been one of the biggest rhino horn hauls the Hawks have ever made and preliminary investigations show that the two suspects are South Africans.

While Mulaudzi was able to confirm the nationality of the suspects, he said he would not at this stage be able to divulge further details as investigations are still ongoing. “The suspects were immediately arrested and investigations are still continuing to ascertain the origin of the rhino horns. They are appearing today at the Brits Magistrate’s Court and we will do everything we can to oppose bail,” Mulaudzi said.

According to a report issued by the Department of Environmental Affairs in February earlier this year, the number of poaching incidents during 2018 were less than those poached in 2017, suggesting that anti-poaching measures which the government embarked on was working.

In 2018, 769 poaching incidents were recorded, while 2017 saw the reporting of 1028 incidents, with the bulk of these happening at the Kruger National Park in Mpumalanga. “It may also demonstrate that with significantly fewer rhinos surviving in the wild, it is getting harder for poachers to locate their prey. More action is needed to stop the illegal trade and ensure rhinos have a positive future. This means supporting anti-poaching work, but also good overall management of rhino populations by ensuring high-quality biological management,” the report stated. Since 2007, when the poaching scourge first emerged, the Kruger National Park has consistently suffered heavy poaching losses, and so in the last few years, the government and international donors have channelled ever more funding and resources into securing the Park.

OFM News