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The Gobabis Magistrates Court has declared self-styled prophet and preacher, Jackson Babi, unfit to possess a firearm for a period of four years and fined him N$370 000 or a jail term for 17 years. The court stated this during the sentencing hearing, when the prophet was sentenced on 12 counts of crimes related to rhino poaching.

Two Zambian nationals were arrested on Thursday, 1 September, at about 14:30, after they were found in possession of four elephant tusks, which they attempted to sell to an undercover officer. According to the police, the incident happened in Ibbu village in Katima Mulilo. It is further alleged that the suspects entered the country without valid documents. The suspects are scheduled to make their first court appearance at the Ngoma Magistrate Court on Monday, 5 September. Police investigations continue.

The police in the Zambezi region have urged public assistance to trace a suspected poacher for arrest. The suspect allegedly fatally shot the elephant bull on Monday, 15 August, and the community members of Batubaja Village made the discovery. It was further reported that the elephant was shot and died in Batubaja area. The incident is believed to have occurred at around 15h00 in the afternoon. No suspect has been arrested so far, and the investigation is at an advanced stage.

A serial poacher with previous convictions is in police custody after he was arrested and treated for a leg wound that he sustained when the owner of the farm Kaliombo in die notorious poaching district of Karibib fired a shot at three fleeing suspects carrying meat. The police said that the farm owner patrolled and inspected his farm after he heard dogs barking and was also alerted by security guards of the possibility that there were poachers moving about. The owners came upon three suspected poachers accompanied by three hunting dogs carrying meat.

Two men were on Saturday arrested after being found in possession of protected plant species at Okahandja.
The duo, a Namibian and Chinese national were found with four Adenia pechuelii (elephant foot) plants; 15xCyphostema plants; eight Commphoras plants; five plastics containing Welwitschia seeds and 12x plastics with differentunidentified seeds. Ministry of Environment spokesperson Romeo Muyunda stated that this came after Ministry officials followed up on avideo in which the two suspects were seen collecting protected plants reportedly in the area of Usakos.

Following the poaching of 11 rhinos in the Etosha National Park in the past month, the Namibian Government stepped up wildlife security and strategic plans to ensure maximum protection of Namibia's iconic species. This includes the immediate deployment of retired Commissioner Ndahangwapo Kashihakumwa to Etosha National Park.

Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta today revealed that a 40-year-old Botswana male, a suspected poacher, is receiving medical treatment at Rundu State hospital after being shot by Bwabwata national park staff and wildlife protection services last week Tuesday. Shifeta said at a press conference today that Park staff on regular patrol laid an ambush after discovering a giraffe’s fresh carcass in a snare wire and hanging biltong

Amidst shocking discoveries of wildlife poaching incidents in the country recently, such as the 11 black rhinos killed in Etosha recently, Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta on Wednesday launched the first ever National Stakeholder Forum on Wildlife Protection and Law Enforcement to strengthen the fight against the crimes. Shifeta said Namibia has experienced a massive surge in wildlife crime over the past decade, driven by increased global demand for illegal wildlife products.

The huge police operation launched after the discovery of two poached rhinos on the north-western side of the Etosha National Park has led to the gruesome find of another nine rhinos killed. All the animals are critically endangered black rhinos. According to Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, this brings the total number of rhinos poached in six months to 22.

Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda stated about 4 000 timber pieces and a timber cutting machine have been confiscated, but the value of the timber has not been determined. This is the second largest illegal timber activity reported within a month.

A TRUCK containing unprocessed timber intended for exportation to South Africa was seized by Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism officials in Windhoek. Ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said the 1 500 planks on the truck are held and the transport permit is temporarily suspended, pending further investigations to establish where the timber came from and if it was legally acquired. Muyunda stated that in 2018 the Ministry introduced a moratorium on timber harvesting, transportation, marketing and exporting. "This has led to a…

Two Angolans and three Namibians, of which one is a traditional doctor, were remanded in custody after being arrested for possession of 29 pieces of elephant tusks at Onhuno, Helao Nafidi Town.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said the illegal capture, killing and trade of pangolins for international markets has increased in recent years. Since 2017, the ministry recorded 320 pangolin poaching cases in the country. Of those, the highest number was reported in 2019 with 96 cases, followed by 62 in 2018, 60 in 2020, 59 in 2021, with the lowest reported in 2017, namely 43 cases.

The poaching of endangered species such as rhinos and elephants in Namibia has significantly decline this year. This is according to data provided by Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism on Thursday. So for, a total of 14 rhinos and five elephants were killed by poachers this year in Namibia.

Some anti-poaching organizations are calling upon the justice system to strengthen punishment against those found guilty of rhino poaching and rhino horn trafficking. This comes after the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment recently released statistics indicating that rhino poaching incidents committed in the country within the first six months of the year have increased by 33% compared to last year, during the same period. Nature conservationists say the rhino is among the endangered species, not only in South Africa and the African continent but across the…

Prophet Jackson Babi has been remanded in custody again after High Court Judge Harald January dismissed his bail appeal. The judge did not make available the full judgment, saying it will only be available later after it has been edited. Babi has been in custody since last year after he was arrested on poaching charges.

Judgement in the matter where Prophet Jackson Babi is appealing a decision that denied him bail will be handed own later this week. Babi is appealing a judgment handed down by a magistrate in the lower court.

Two suspects, aged 19 and 48, who were found allegedly in possession of 19 rhino horns, are expected to appear at the Nelspruit Magistrate’s court in Mpumalanga, on Thursday. The horns are estimated to have a value of R2.6 million.

The Protected Resources Sub Division of the Namibian Police has launched an investigation into the origin of four rhino horns found in possession of four suspects during an impromptu roadblock in the Kunene Region. According to a success report provided by NamPol’s Public Relations Division, the four men were travelling in a minibus taxi from Kamanjab to Opuwo when they were found in possession of four horns wrapped in tinfoil.

The Namibian Police Force in the Oshana Region have arrested a 41-year-old man after he was found in possession of protected wildlife products at Oshakati. According to an arrest report provided by the Public Relation Division of the Namibian Police, a case of possession of controlled wildlife products was registered on Friday evening. "The suspect was arrested at Okatana Service Station in Oshakati, after he was found in possession of a pangolin skin," said police.

A Namibian Defense Force (NDF) member and a police officer currently stationed at the Etosha national park were arrested last night after they were found in the possession of rhino horns in Oshikango. Speaking to Informanté, Ohangwena Regional Crime Coordinator Sakaria Amakali said that the two suspected poachers were arrested in a sting operation following a tip off. The value of the horns is not yet known. "The two suspects will only be charged today and appear in the Ohangwena court tomorrow," Amakali stated.

The search for the missing rhino calf at the Ghaub Nature Reserve ended sadly when the baby's carcass was discovered in the bush. The Director One Namibia, the Ghaub Nature Reserve, and Farm Ghaub, Joachim Rust said their hope to find the calf of Zanna, a rhino cow that was killed by poachers on the farm about three weeks ago, alive never wavered.

Prophet Jackson Babi has lodged an appeal against a ruling in which a Magistrate denied him bail, saying that the presiding officer misdirected himself when he made the ruling. The appeal was scheduled for hearing in the Windhoek High court today, but will only be heard on 23 June 2021. Babi was arrested on poaching charges and possession of a cellphone while in police custody, as well as bribery. In his heads of argument, Babi claims that during the bail application, no evidence was provided to show he would interfere with investigations if he is granted bail.

The brutal slaughter of two rhinos on Farm Ghaub in the area of Tsumeb in the past week not only left a huge void in the hearts and lives of their minders but also sabotaged job opportunities for people in the tourism industry of Namibia. The owners of Farm Ghaub decided to offer a reward of N$50 000 for information that would lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the people responsible for the slaughter of Zanna and another rhino cow.

Trauma and feelings of utter loss were laid bare by the owner of a white rhino cow that was brutally slaughtered by poachers. Joachim Rust of Farm Ghaub gives a heart-rendering eyewitness account of what he had to go through when he discovered the dead rhino on his property.

Police spokesperson says police closely monitored the suspects' vehicle and followed them to a house in Malema village, were they found diving equipment and three bags with 320 abalone with the street value of R18 000. Six people have been arrested for allegedly being in possession of abalone at St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape. This follows a tip-off to the police about suspected poachers.

Prophet Jackson Babi has yet again been denied bail in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court, because of fear he might again interfere with investigations, as he faces a bribery charge in addition to the poaching charges he was initially arraigned on. In the bribery case, Babi is accused of attempting to bribe a police officer with N$13 000.

A decision on whether or not Windhoek self proclaimed Prophet, Jackson Babi, will be granted bail will be heard on Friday at the Windhoek Magistrate's Court. Babi was arrested last year on poaching and bribery charges. On the bribery charge, Babi and one Ananias Ananias are alleged to have attempted to offer a police officer N$13 000 to make the charges against Babi in the poaching case disappear.

A member of a notorious poaching gang from Zambia that plies their trade across the borders of three countries was arrested after getting involved in a shootout with a Namibian anti-poaching unit on the banks of Linyanti River. The shootout occurred on the Namibian side of the river last Thursday night and according to reports, one of the gang members was arrested. The suspected poacher is currently being held at the Katima Mulilo Police Station.

Excellent cooperation between the farming community and the Namibian Police in the area of Kapps Farm saw the arrest of three men suspected of poaching wildlife. According to a member of the farming community, the owner of Farm Bellrode discovered that there are poachers on his property on Sunday afternoon when he saw two strange dogs running through the bushes.

Two men, that attempted to sell seven unpolished diamonds and a pangolin skin, were arrested in Tsumeb during a sting operation earlier this week. The 30-year-old and 50-year-old suspects were apprehended during an undercover operation staged by the Protected Resources Sub Division of the Namibian Police. The Regional Police Commander, Commissioner Armas Shivute said the duo were found with one pangolin skin valued at N$ 50 000 and seven unpolished diamonds of which the value still has to be determined.

A man suspected of being a poacher, 27-year-old Claudius Hameva, was fatally shot at a game farm around Okakarara earlier this morning following a scuffle between him and the farm's security guard.

Prophet Jackson Babi and another man, Ananias Ananias, who stand accused of attempting to bribe a police officer, are expected to make another court appearance next month in connection with the charges. The two men briefly appeared in the Windhoek Magistrate’s Court on bribery charges after it was alleged that they offered a police officer N$13 000 to make the charges against Babi disappear.

Pietermaritzburg police intercepted and arrested a man transporting rhino horn worth R1.2 million this morning.

The vigilance of the farming community around Kamanjab led to the arrest of a gang of poachers that were on their way to hunt rhinos in the Etosha National Park. According to the crime bulletin provided by the Public Relations Division of the Namibian Police, the five suspects were arrested on Farm Marinhohe in the Kamanjab policing area on Thursday evening after members of the community spotted them being dropped off by a suspicious vehicle.

Four (4) suspects were arrested on 21 August 2020 after they illegally hunted a specially protected game (rhino). The suspects conspired and entered a private Farm to hunt rhinos, they shot and injured a female white Rhino and killed one male White Rhino. The horns were removed. The cow managed to escape with a gunshot wound. It survived.

The discovery of a camouflage uniform of the Namibian Defence Force among the belongings of a gang of poachers has added another aspect to the investigation into illegal hunting in Namibia’s national parks. Members of the public who spotted the poachers attempting to recover a broken down vehicle with the help of a second vehicle from the desert in the vicinity of the Kuiseb Canyon informed the Namibian Police about the suspicious activity. The gang of poachers and the people assisting them to recover the broken down vehicle fled on foot when they spotted the vehicles…

An attempt by Prophet Jackson Babi to bribe the detective investigating poaching charges against him to bear false testimony in court during his formal bail application, has caused the man of God to sink deeper into legal trouble. Besides an amount of N$13 000 in cash police officers searching the cells during the past weekend also found two mobile phones in the possession of the accused persons while they were incarcerated at the Windhoek Police Station which added even more charges to the accused persons’ charge sheets.

Diligent detective work by the Protected Resources Division (PRD) of the Namibian Police, led to more poaching charges being registered against Prophet Jackson Babi. The prophet is currently in police custody on poaching charges that stem from an arrest last week at his home in the Kleine Kuppe neighbourhood of Windhoek. Babi, along with Frizans Naululu Dumeni, Alberto Mbwale and Joseph Matheus, were all taken into custody when they were found in possession of two rhinoceros horns last Tuesday evening.

Jackson Babi, a well-known Prophet along with a police officer attached to the Very Important Persons Protection Directorate was amongst seven suspects arrested on Monday for poaching and trading in wildlife contraband. Lightning quick investigative work by members of the Protected Resources Division of the Namibian Police saw the arrest of the seven suspects on the same day that a farm worker discovered the carcasses of two illegally hunted rhinos on a farm in the Gobabis district.

Resettlement farms and other government owned land in rural areas of Namibia have become the secure staging ground from where syndicates can perpetrate serious crimes such as murder, poaching and stock theft with seeming impunity. As a result, members of the farming community have had to take on the added responsibility of continuously safeguarding animals and property against the relentless onslaught of criminals.

Wildlife crime has become one of the central conservation challenges in Namibia, with a total of 174 wildlife species poached in the country last year alone. This number signifies an increase, as 115 were poached in 2018.

A man was arrested at Okandjengendi on Monday while trying to sell to undercover police officers a live pangolin.

The police in Maltahöhe is investigating a case of hunting game without a permit, as well as the possession of game meat without a permit after four men illegally hunted an oryx, valued at N$8,000, on farm Kronenhof last Friday.

Two members of the Oshakati Town Council were arrested when caught red handed while removing the horns of two poached rhinos in the Etosha National Park.

The Blue Rhino Task Team arrested two men in Rundu at the start of the weekend after they were caught red handed with four elephant tusks in their possession.

The hunt for the daring suspects who struck inside the Etosha National Park during Friday night has already started after the carcass of a black rhino that was shot and dehorned was found along the road that leads from Namutoni to Halali in the Etosha National Park early on Saturday morning.

Members of the Blue Rhino Task Team arrested Viega Nghinaanye Shipahu as the sixth suspect in the matter where 34 rhino horns along with large amounts of cash in local and foreign currency were stolen from a safe in a house in Outjo at the beginning of August. 

Namibia's air, sea and land ports in have been identified as key hubs for the export of illegal wildlife products and training is crucial for officials to identify contraband when people and cargo move through checkpoints. In this regard customs officials and police officers from Windhoek and Walvis Bay received training in species identification during the use of baggage and container scanners to detect smuggled wildlife contraband.

The arrest of more suspects connected to the theft of 34 rhino horns from a safe in a house in Outjo might follow after two men, Hofan Amakali and Elias Mutwikange, were denied bail after their first appearance in the town’s Magistrate’s Court on Friday. Inspector Maurene Mbeha, spokesperson of the Namibian Police in the Otjozondjupa Region, confirmed the arrest of Amakali and Mutwikange in the middle of last week.