Latest news with #PlatinumRhinoConservationEnterprise
The Citizen
10 hours ago
- The Citizen
Former rhino conservationist among six accused in horn trafficking
Former rhino conservationist among six accused in horn trafficking Six accused, including the founder of a rhino conservation enterprise, appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court in connection with an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate, reportedly worth R250-million. They were all granted bail and are expected to return to court on December 9. The group is facing 55 charges, which include multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contravention of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), involving 964 rhino horns, contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act, theft, and money laundering. The accused are: – John Frederick Hume (83), the founder and former owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise. – Clive John Mervan Melville (63), a transport maintenance manager. – Izak Hermanus du Toit (50), a practising attorney. – Elizabeth Catharina van Niekerk (58), a director of a non-profit organisation. – Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel (37), an insurance broker and part-time farmer. – Johannes Abraham Hennop (52), a game reserve manager. Bail was set at R100 000 for Hume, R10 000 each for Melville and Van Niekerk, and R20 000 each for Du Toit, Poggenpoel, and Hennop. National Prosecuting Authority's spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said it is alleged that between 2017 and 2024, the accused operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE). 'They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in South-east Asia.' Mahanjana stated that the fraudulent scheme is estimated to have involved 964 rhino horns, valued at R250-million. 'After intensive investigations by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation's (DPCI) Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, based at national headquarters, the six handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central Police Station on August 19, where they were formally arrested.' She explained that during bail proceedings, they all asked to be released on bail because they are not flight risks, and had co-operated with the police investigation. She continued that two of the accused, Melville and Poggenpoel, had stated in affidavits that they had previous convictions for fraud and possession of rhino horn, with both paying fines. Poggenpoel also disclosed that he has a case against him pending in the Winburg Magistrate's court in the Free State, because police allegedly found ammunition that was not properly secured, and for which he did not have a permit. Scheduled medicine was also apparently found during this visit. According to Mahanjana, Advocate Patsy Jacobs read an affidavit by investigating officer Edward du Plessis, saying that the State did not oppose bail as the accused are not flight risks, their addresses had been confirmed, and they had co-operated with investigators. The court granted bail to the six with the following conditions: – All accused must hand over their passports and may not apply for new travel documents while the matter is pending. – They must report to their nearest police station once a week. – They may not interfere with investigations, tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. – They must not commit any further offences while on bail. ALSO READ: Six alleged international rhino horn traffickers to appear in Pretoria court Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Rhino trafficking syndicate: John Hume (83) among 6 in court
The case against conservationist John Hume (83) and his five co-accused is set to continue in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court on December 9. Hume, the former founder and owner of Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise, appeared in the same court today, alongside transport maintenance manager Clive John Mervan Melville (63), attorney Izak du Toit (50), NPO director Catharina van Niekerk (58), insurance broker and part-time farmer Mattheus Poggenpoel (37) and game reserve manager Abraham Hennop (52). According to a statement by National Prosecuting Authority Gauteng regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, their court appearance stems from their alleged involvement in a rhino trafficking syndicate. They face 55 charges that include counts of racketeering, fraud, theft and money laundering, as well as the contravention of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 and the Riotous Assemblies Act 17 of 1956. 'It is alleged that between 2017 and 2024, the accused operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in Southeast Asia. The fraudulent scheme is estimated to involve 964 rhino horns valued at R250m,' reads the statement by Mahanjana. The investigation by the Hawks' Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit is said to have led to the accused handing themselves over at the Pretoria Central Police Station earlier today. According to Mahanjana, Melville disclosed in his affidavit that he has a 2019 conviction for fraud and being in possession of and transporting rhino horns. He was sentenced to pay a fine. 'Accused no 5, Poggenpoel, disclosed to the court that he has [a] 2009 conviction [for the] possession of a rhino horn, where he paid an admission of guilt fee of R2 500,' Mahanjana added. She said his affidavit revealed he has a pending case in the Winburg Magistrate's Court on September 17. The case is reportedly due to an investigation team finding ammunition that was allegedly not locked away in a safe, as well as the alleged possession of scheduled medicine without a permit. Hume was granted bail of R100 000, Melville and Van Niekerk were each granted R10 000 bail, while Hermanus, Du Toit, Poggenpoel and Hennop were each granted R2 000 bail. State Advocate Patsy Jacobs read into the record an affidavit by investigating officer Edward du Plessis that stated the accused were not flight risks, their addresses had been verified, and they had co-operated with investigators. The state therefore did not oppose bail, but requested bail conditions, which were granted: All accused had to surrender their passports and may not apply for new travel documents while the matter is pending They must report to their nearest police station once a week They may not interfere with investigations, tamper with evidence or influence witnesses They must not commit any offences while on bail. According to the website of Buffalo Dream Ranch (BDR), Hume is a former holiday resort developer who turned his focus to rhino conservation in the early 1990s and went on to establish BDR in the North West in 2009. The facility grew into the world's largest private rhino breeding project, with over 1 600 rhinos under its care, more than 1 000 of which were bred on the ranch. The website explains that BDR was originally named to conceal its main purpose – breeding rhinos – from poachers. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on
TimesLIVE
a day ago
- TimesLIVE
Six rhino horn syndicate suspects granted bail
Five men and a woman accused of being involved in the trafficking of 964 rhino horns valued at R250m were granted bail by the Pretoria magistrate's court on Tuesday. John Frederick Hume, 83, founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise, was granted R100,000 bail. The director of a nonprofit organisation, Elizabeth Catharina Van Niekerk, 58, and transport maintenance manager Clive John Mervan Melville, 63, were granted R10,000 bail each while attorney Izak Hermanus du Toit, 50, insurance broker Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel, 37, and game reserve manager Johannes Abraham Hennop, 52, were each granted R20,000 bail. 'They are collectively facing a total of 55 charges of multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contravention of the National Environmental Management Act, contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act, theft and money laundering,' the National Prosecuting Authority and the Hawks said in a joint statement. It is alleged that between 2017 and 2024, the accused operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment (DFFE). 'They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in Southeast Asia.' The fraudulent scheme was estimated to involve 964 rhino horns valued at R250m. After intensive investigations by the Hawks, the six handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central police station on Tuesday, where they were formally arrested. 'During bail proceedings, they all asked to be released on bail because they were not flight risks and had co-operated with the police.' In his affidavit, Melville disclosed that he had a 2019 conviction for fraud and for being in possession of and transporting rhino horns. He was sentenced to pay a fine. Poggenpoel disclosed that he had a 2009 conviction for possession of a rhino horn and had paid an admission of guilt fine of R2,500. 'Poggenpoel also disclosed that he will be appearing on September 17 at Winburg magistrate's court because during the visit to his residence, the investigation team found ammunition that was not locked away in a safe and supposedly scheduled medicine without a permit.' The state did not oppose bail. The court granted bail and ordered the accused to surrender their passports and not apply for new travel documents while the case was pending. The court ordered the accused to report to their nearest police station once a week, and instructed that they may not interfere with investigations, tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. TimesLIVE
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Six, including conservationist, granted bail in R250m rhino horn trafficking case
Six people, including a former rhino conservation owner, were granted bail in a R250 million rhino horn trafficking case. Six people, including the former owner of a rhino conservation organisation, appeared in court concerning a massive R250 million international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and have been granted bail. The Pretoria Magistrate's Court on Tuesday granted bail to the six suspects facing 55 charges, including multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, theft, money laundering, and contraventions of both the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA) and the Riotous Assemblies Act. Six suspects in a R250m rhino horn trafficking syndicate The accused are former founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise John Frederick Hume, 83; transport maintenance manager Clive John Mervan Melville, 63; practising attorney Izak Hermanus Du Toit, 50; director of a non-profit organisation Elizabeth Catharina Van Niekerk, 58; insurance broker and part-time farmer Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel, 37; and game reserve manager Johannes Abraham Hennop 52. The court set Hume's bail at R100 000. Melville and Van Niekerk each received bail of R10 000, while Du Toit, Poggenpoel, and Hennop were each granted R2 000 bail. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) allege that between 2017 and 2024, the suspects operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the department of forestry, fisheries, and the environment (DEFE). 'They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in Southeast Asia,' the authorities said. ALSO READ: Three suspected rhino poachers arrested in Paulpietersburg, KZN 'The fraudulent scheme is estimated to involve 964 rhino horns valued at R250 million.' Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo explained that in South Africa, citizens may legally buy and sell rhino horns, provided both the buyer and seller apply for permits under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act of 2004. 'The DFFE is the only one who can authorise the issuing of these permits. These rhino horns, however, may not be exported or sold to non-South African citizens due to an international ban,' Singo said. Suspects handed themselves over to police The suspects handed themselves over to the Pretoria Central Police Station on Tuesday, following investigations by the Hawks' Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit. They were formally charged at the police station. During proceedings, the accused requested bail, arguing they posed no flight risk and had cooperated with police investigations. Melville disclosed to the court that he was previously convicted in 2019 for fraud and being in possession of and transporting rhino horns. The transport maintenance manager was sentenced to pay a fine. ALSO READ: Operation Shanela: Police arrest more than 11,000 suspects in a week Poggenpoel admitted he had a prior conviction in 2009 for possession of rhino horn, for which he paid an admission of guilt fine of R2 500. The broker and farmer also has a pending case that will be heard on 17 September 2025 at Winburg Magistrates' Court because during the visit to his residence, the Hawks investigation team found ammunition that was not locked away in a safe and supposedly scheduled medicine without a permit. The state did not oppose bail, noting that the accused were not flight risks, their addresses had been verified, and they had cooperated with investigators. The state, however, requested bail conditions. Bail granted under strict conditions The court granted bail on condition that the accused surrender their passports, report weekly to police, avoid interference with the case, and commit no further offences. The court postponed the matter to 9 December for further investigations.
