Shocking details emerge of alleged police involvement in rhino poaching

The primary purpose of the enterprise was to smuggle rhino poachers into the Kruger National Park using SAPS vehicles.

The poachers would then illegally hunt and kill rhinos using high-calibre hunting rifles, cut off the rhino horns and be smuggled out, along with the horns, by the police officers.

Thereafter a middleman would link them up with one of two businessmen who would buy the rhino horns and pay the price agreed upon before selling the horns on the black market.

The money would be shared between the hunters, police officers and the middleman.

This according to court papers in the case against the alleged rhino poaching kingpin, Joseph Nyalungu, and his three remaining co-accused, Claude Lubisi, Aretha Mhlanga and Rachel Qwebana.

Together they face 40 counts relating to rhino poaching, the illegal sale of rhino horn, racketeering, money laundering, theft, fraud, corruption, contravening the Firearms Control Act and contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act by managing an ‘enterprise’ as defined by this Act.

The other two accused, Petrus Mabuza and Clyde Mnisi, were assassinated in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

The alleged crimes, centred around Hazyview, Stolsnek and Skukuza, took place between January 13 and May 19, 2017. The arrests were the result of a carefully planned and executed undercover police operation.

Court papers state that the accused and their associates formed part of an enterprise that was involved in the illegal hunting of rhinos in the Kruger National Park and the poaching of their horns. They would then sell the horns for vast sums of money on the black market.

Police involvement in rhino poaching syndicate

Central to the operation, former Skukuza police officers Lubisi, Mhlanga and Qwebana are alleged to have abused their positions by aiding rhino poaching instead of preventing it.

They allegedly did this by using official SAPS vehicles to smuggle rhino poachers and illegal hunting rifles into and out of the Kruger National Park.

They also allegedly transported the poached rhino horns out of the park when extracting the poachers. This while allegedly accepting payment from their associates for turning a blind eye to offences committed in the Kruger National Park.

The role of kingpins and middlemen

Nyalungu and Mabuza were allegedly the businessmen and kingpins. They would allegedly procure people to hunt rhinos and buy rhino horns from the poachers, which they would then buy from the sellers to resell on the black market. Mnisi was the alleged middleman between the foot soldiers and the kingpins.

The accused are also alleged to have stolen rhino horns in lawful possession of Kruger Park ranger Don English and/or the Kruger National Park on four occasions. The 15 stolen horns were valued well over R2m.

Two key witnesses testified before the trial hit a snag that delayed proceedings until a date yet to be determined in 2025.

On March 12, the court heard testimony from two witnesses who were part of an undercover operation that led to the arrests.

The case was then postponed to September 25 after defence attorney Hendrik Potgieter requested time to study the authorisation application for the undercover operation conducted under Section 252A.

Court proceedings and delays

Subsequent postponements followed as the prosecutor resigned and accused number five, Aretha Mhlanga, requested legal aid as she could no longer afford private legal representation.
Lubisi, Nyalungu and Qwebana are still represented by Potgieter who receives instructions from Adv Hettie Groenewald.

On October 4, Judge Henk Roelofse, acting on behalf of Judge Lindiwe Vukeya, took a tough stance on the accused’s financial instructions to their legal counsel, ordering them to settle legal fees for the remaining four weeks needed to complete the matter in advance, before their next appearance on January 17, 2025.

He ordered the instructing attorney for the accused, Adv Hettie Groenewald, to appear in person on January 17 and confirm financial instructions.

“If she is unable to confirm that, the trial date will be set and trial will continue without your attorneys,” Roelofse warned the accused. This, he said, was to prevent further delays due to all these attorneys coming and going.