‘To us as Boko Girls, he was our father': Slain gang leader idolised by Cape Flats youth
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Man Who Bred World's Biggest Rhino Herd Charged With Horn Smuggling
John Hume, the South African who bred the world's biggest rhino herd, has been arrested on charges of smuggling of the endangered animals' horns. Hume was charged on Tuesday, his daughter-in-law Tammy confirmed. In total six people were arrested to face charges of fraud, theft, and contravention of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, with additional charges of racketeering and money laundering under consideration, the country's environment department said, without identifying them.
News24
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Ex-lotto board member ordered to repay R21m in misappropriated grant funds
SIU Special Tribunal finds advocate Huma and associates liable for misappropriated community grant funds. Money meant for Marikana chicken farm funnelled into Huma's company instead. SIU preserves R10 million from property sales, plans to auction farms. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has scored a major victory in its corruption investigation into the National Lotteries Commission (NLC), after the Special Tribunal ordered former board member Advocate William Elias Huma and his associates to repay more than R21 million in misappropriated grant funds In a landmark ruling delivered by Judge Margie Victor on 31 July, the tribunal declared that the awarding of R16.5 million to the Samaritan Initiative NPO and more than R4.5 million to Reagile NPC was unlawful, invalid and riddled with misconduct. Together with Huma's affiliated entities, the organisations were found to have cost the commission R21 158 118 through dishonesty, negligence and breaches of fiduciary duty. SIU 'This is the first judgment setting aside grant funding in the commission investigation,' the SIU said, noting it had also launched 18 more review applications valued at more than R320 million. Hijacked projects, ghost benefits The Samaritan Initiative NPO, controlled by Huma's relatives, was awarded a R16.5 million grant in 2019 for community upliftment projects, including a chicken farming scheme, in Marikana in the North West. Instead, the SIU investigations found the money was funnelled into Silverlite Trading, a company solely controlled by Huma. The farm is now derelict and it never benefited local residents, the SIU found. Similarly, Reagile NPC, with Huma's wife and nephew as directors, pocketed R4.6 million in 2020 but did not produce any tangible community benefits. The conduct of advocate Huma, the Samaritan Initiative and Reagile has been reprehensible. There is no explanation from any of them for the loss of money to the state. In particular, [Huma], a non-practising advocate, would have been aware of his fiduciary duties to the board. His defences were bald, obtuse and unmeritorious. Judge Margie Victor Quoting former UN Human Rights commissioner Navi Pillay, Judge Victor underscored the devastating cost of corruption: 'Corruption kills. The money stolen through corruption every year is enough to feed the world's hungry 80 times over.' Recovery in motion The tribunal ordered Huma and the implicated entities to repay the full R21.2 million, with costs on an attorney-client scale, including senior counsel fees. To ensure recovery, the SIU has preserved R10 million in proceeds from the sale of Huma's property in Waterkloof in Pretoria, making it immediately executable. In addition, assets linked to commission funds have been frozen, including Farm Zwartkoppies 296 in the North West and a boutique hotel in Rustenburg. The SIU plans to auction these properties, redirecting proceeds back to the commission for genuine community upliftment projects. SIU Bigger clean-up ahead President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the investigation in 2020 under Proclamation R32, giving the SIU the powers to investigate corruption and recover state losses. The Huma ruling is seen as a pivotal test case in untangling the vast web of lottery looting. This judgment sends a clear message that abusing positions of trust to enrich oneself at the expense of communities will not go unpunished. SIU READ Lotto licence saga: ANC-linked group led before Sizekhaya win, court papers show With more than R320 million in questionable grants under review, the SIU is expected to file additional applications to claw back misused lottery funds. Evidence of criminal conduct uncovered in its investigations will be referred to the National Prosecuting Authority for possible prosecution. A precedent for accountability The ruling is significant, not only for its financial implications, but also for its precedent in holding senior figures accountable for abusing public institutions. Judge Victor made it clear that with his legal training and position on the NLC board, Huma had no excuse to do what he did. His attempt to deny, deflect and avoid accountability was rejected outright. 'His refusal to deal with simple denials to issues which called for an answer cannot be condoned,' the judgment said. The SIU hailed the outcome as part of its broader mandate to impose 'consequence management' and restore public trust in state institutions battered by corruption. For communities such as Marikana, promised jobs, food security and development that never materialised, the ruling offers hope that stolen resources will finally be clawed back and redirected where they were meant to go.
News24
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Six arrested for allegedly trafficking over 900 rhino horns with fraudulent permits
Six people appeared in court for the alleged transnational trafficking of 964 rhino horns. They are accused of fraudulently obtaining domestic trade permits and funnelling rhino horns into illegal international markets. Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Dion George said the arrests were critical in protecting biodiversity. Six people were set to appear at the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, accused of the transnational trafficking of 964 rhino horns, following a successful investigation by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), which began in 2017. According to Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo, the six accused – five men between 49 and 84, and a woman aged 60 – handed themselves over to the Hawks investigating team at Sunnyside police station on Tuesday morning. In a statement, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) said the seven-year investigation had included the Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, the department's enforcement unit (the Green Scorpions), and the National Prosecuting Authority. And the suspects face charges of fraud, theft, and contravention of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), with additional charges of racketeering and money laundering under consideration. According to the DFFE, investigations revealed that the accused had allegedly defrauded the department by securing permits under false pretences 'to buy and sell rhino horns domestically, while funnelling them' into 'illegal markets in Southeast Asia'. It said that under South African law, domestic trade was permitted with valid DFFE-issued permits in terms of the NEMBA. The department added: International commercial trade in rhino horn is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Minister Dion George said the arrests were 'a decisive victory in South Africa's fight against international 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.' He added that the work to apprehend the six showed that the enforcement agencies would 'not hesitate to pursue those who plunder our wildlife for criminal profit'. 'The illegal trade in rhino horn not only destroys biodiversity but also undermines the rule of law and the foundations of environmental governance,' George said.
