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Quiet plunder of the Succulent Karoo

South Africa's Succulent Karoo, a global biodiversity hotspot, is under severe threat from a sophisticated international plant trafficking operation. What was once dismissed as…

National Prosecuting Authority investigators executed fresh search warrants at Sasol’s Secunda operations this week while company executives appeared before Parliament, as investigators revealed the long-running criminal investigation into alleged pollution of the Vaal River has expanded. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Sasol halts answers to MPs after NPA raids Secunda operations with search warrants

A long-running criminal investigation into allegations that Sasol unlawfully polluted the Vaal River system took a dramatic new turn this week when National Prosecuting Authority…

Illegal gillnetting in South Africa: New reporting app targets growing threat to rivers and estuaries

Conservationists and law enforcement agencies in South Africa are launching a new Gillnet Reporting App to combat the rising problem of illegal gillnetting in rivers and…

Wastewater: An overflowing drain flowing in a town in Mpumalanga. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Mpumalanga municipality slapped with record R650m penalty for years of raw sewage spills

In a landmark ruling, the Emalahleni local municipality was ordered to fund major repairs after pleading guilty to persistent sewage pollution that contaminated rivers feeding…

Wild dogs are not the only animals being caught in snares — more than 30 elephants were caught in 2023 alone, as well as hyenas and lions. (File photo by Dianah Chiyangwa)

Unravelling the threads of snaring in Kruger park

Incidents of wildlife snaring have rocketed in South Africa’s flagship national park in the past four years. What’s driving the surge, and how are conservationists facing up to it?

The men were sentenced for poaching 303 rate specied found in the Northern and Western Cape. Photo: WWF

Illegal succulent trade is the Western Cape’s most prevalent wildlife crime

CapeNature says 650 species and more than 1.2 million harvested wild plants have been seized in the past four years