Photo: FW Archive
John Hume, once the owner of the world’s largest captive-bred rhino operation, and five others recently appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on charges of fraud, theft, and contravention of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (No. 10 of 2004). Additional charges of racketeering and money laundering are also being considered.
This follows the arrest of the six after an almost eight-year investigation into the large-scale trafficking of over 960 rhino horns, Daily Maverick reported. The accused are currently out on bail.
In a joint statement, the National Prosecuting Authority and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation said Hume and his co-accused had allegedly operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
According to Cathy Dean, grants lead at Save the Rhino International, the arrests marked a critical juncture in tackling the organised crime networks driving the illegal rhino horn trade and highlighted the challenges of regulating it.
“Every horn trafficked represents not only a threat to rhinos and the ecosystems they call home but also fuels wider organised crime, exploiting people and communities throughout the chain of criminal activity,” Dean said in a statement on the organisation’s website.
Meanwhile, Dr Dion George Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said in a statement on the department’s website: “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 [are.”
Over the years, Hume, founder and former owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise, has been a prominent and vocal advocate for the legalisation of the sale of rhino horn. He has consistently argued that a regulated, legal trade was the only viable solution to end poaching and secure the long-term survival of the species.
Speaking to Farmer’s Weekly, Dr Gerhard Verdoorn, operations and stewardship manager at CropLife South Africa and longtime conservationist, said that while he welcomed the arrests, he remained concerned about the fact that similar court cases often taken an extraordinarily long time to conclude.
“I am very concerned about the fact that this case will also take years and years, like the long-running case against Schalk Abraham ‘AB’ Steyn and Limpopo game farmer Dawie Groenewald. The pair face charges of illegal possession and transportation of rhino horn, and their case has been dragging on for nearly 15 years. As far as I am concerned, this makes a mockery of justice, and I sincerely hope it does not happen again,” he explained.
