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John Hume Among Six Charged as South Africa Unravels 964-Horn Rhino Trafficking Case

Investigators say fraudulent permits exploited the domestic horn market to channel stock into Southeast Asia, with prosecutors weighing racketeering and money‑laundering counts.

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FILE - In this Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 file photo, rhinos walk in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi game reserve in South Africa. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam, File)
Southern white rhinos in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park. The southern white rhino came close to extinction at the end of the 19th century and was saved from extinction by conservation efforts at HIP. Image by Jim Tan for Mongabay.
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Overview

  • The Hawks’ Wildlife Trafficking Section arrested the suspects after a seven‑year probe; they surrendered in Pretoria, received bail, and handed over passports, with the next court date set for December 9.
  • Authorities allege the network diverted 964 horns valued at about 250 million rand ($14 million) by obtaining Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment permits under false pretenses.
  • Filed counts include fraud, theft and contraventions of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, while international commercial horn trade remains banned under CITES.
  • Hume, 83, previously owned the Platinum Rhino ranch, sold to African Parks in 2023, and long advocated legal international horn trade.
  • The other accused are identified as attorneys Izak du Toit and Catharina van Niekerk, insurance broker Mattheus Poggenpoel, reserve manager Johannes Hennop and Hume relative Clive Melville.