John Hume (left) and his co-accused in court. (@CrimeWatch_RSA/X)
The former breeder and owner of the world’s largest captive rhino operation, John Hume, is among the six accused allegedly involved in a transnational rhino horn syndicate that trafficked more than 960 rhino horns.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that Hume’s lawyer, Izak Hermanus du Toit, is also allegedly involved in the syndicate operating out of South Africa and feeding the global illegal trade in the commodity.
Hume is the former founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise. The arrests — the result of a complex seven-year investigation — come eight years after he successfully challenged the government’s 2009 moratorium on the domestic trade of rhino horn in 2017.
After investigations by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (the Hawks’) wildlife trafficking section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, the six handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central police station on Tuesday, where they were formally arrested.
They appeared before the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court where all six were granted bail, said Lumka Mahanjana, the NPA’s regional spokesperson.
Authorities have alleged that the syndicate used a web of fraudulent permit schemes, exploiting South Africa’s domestic trading regulations under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, to mask horn exports destined for Southeast Asia. This is despite international bans under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora. Under South African law, domestic trade in rhino horn is legal with valid permits.
Hume’s co-accused are Clive John Mervan Melville, a transport maintenance manager; Elizabeth Catharina van Niekerk, the director of a nonprofit; Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel, an insurance broker and part-time farmer; and Johannes Abraham Hennop, a game reserve manager.
Hume was granted R100 000 bail, Melville and Van Niekerk were each granted R10 000 bail while Du Toit, Poggenpoel and Hennop received R20 000 bail, Mahanjana said.
Collectively, they face 55 charges of multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contravention of the national biodiversity Act, contravention of contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act, theft and money laundering.
In 2009, the government introduced a moratorium on the domestic trade in rhino horn. In subsequent years, Hume and Johan Kruger, another private rhino owner, challenged the moratorium through the courts. In April 2017, the Constitutional Court reversed the ban, ruling that there had been inadequate prior consultation.
“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,” said Mahanjana.
“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 R250 million.”
The investigation began in 2017 and uncovered a sophisticated scheme in which the suspects allegedly defrauded the department to secure permits under false pretences, said Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Singo.
Through their affidavits, Melville disclosed to the court that he has a 2019 fraud conviction and being in possession and transporting rhino horns where he was sentenced to pay a fine. In May 2019, Melville and Petrus Stephanus Steyn were arrested in one of the largest rhino horn seizures in the country when they were caught transporting 167 rhino horns illegally.
They stated they were transporting the horns on behalf of Hume to another location in Gauteng, but lacked the necessary permits for their travel through North West province. The pair entered into a plea agreement and were sentenced in June 2020.
On Tuesday, Poggenpoel disclosed to the court that he has a 2009 conviction of possession of a rhino horn and paid an admission of guilt fee of R2 500, Mahanjana said.
He also disclosed that he has a pending case on 17 September in the 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 alleged scheduled medicine without a permit.
The state advocate, Patsy Jacobs, read into the record an affidavit by the investigating officer, Edward Du Plessis, confirming that the state did not oppose bail because the accused were not flight risks, their addresses had been verified and they had cooperated with investigators.
But the state requested bail conditions, which the court granted. These include that all accused must 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 and must not commit any offences while on bail.
Nina Fascione, the executive director of the International Rhino Foundation, said the alleged trafficking of such a huge amount of rhino horn is a “huge blow to conservation efforts” and casts a global shadow over the sincere work and efforts of so many people trying to protect the country’s rhino populations.
“This is not just a single incident but a process of criminality that has been insidiously going on for years and stimulating illegal supply channels from Africa. It is the equivalent of white collar crime rather than the armed robbery of poaching and must be treated as such.”
Fascione added that removal of rhino horn from the stockpile of this magnitude “raises serious concerns” about South Africa’s systems to monitor stockpiles, issue permits and detect trafficked contraband at their ports of exit.
“This incident underscores the urgent need for far more robust and effective systems not only to secure stockpiles, but also to shut down the channels through which poached horn continues to leave South Africa,” Fascione said.
Cathy Dean, the grants lead at Save the Rhino, said the arrests mark a critical juncture in tackling the organised crime networks driving illegal rhino horn trade and highlight the difficulty in regulating the rhino horn trade.
“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,” she said. “We commend the commitment shown by South Africa’s enforcement agencies and their partners to this case.”
Jo Shaw, the chief executive at Save the Rhino, said these arrests send a clear signal that rhino horn trafficking and associated serious organised crimes will be investigated thoroughly and prosecuted.
Disrupting transnational organised crime is essential to stopping poaching, allowing populations to recover and ensuring rhinos have a future in the wild, Shaw said.
In September 2023, African Parks took ownership of Hume’s ranch and the estimated 2 000 rhinos, planning to rewild the rhinos over the following decade.
Save the Rhino said African Parks did not buy Hume’s rhino horn stockpile. “It is not known whether John Hume retained ownership of this, or whether he sold them separately to another buyer/other buyers.”
Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Dion George said the arrests were a turning point in the fight against international wildlife crime.
“This complex investigation, which was also supported by the Green Scorpions and the NPA, is a powerful demonstration of South Africa’s resolve to protect its natural heritage,” the minister said.
The Hawks’ breakthrough was evidence of real progress in dismantling international networks responsible for driving rhino poaching. “We will not rest until we have broken the back of the syndicates operating in our country,” he said.
The matter was postponed to 9 December for further investigations.