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Two men on trial for allegedly selling a rhino horn to an undercover police officer have applied to have their bail conditions relaxed. Arvo Johannes Mutefi, 40, and Andreas Panduleni Naholo are out on bail of N$7 000 each. One of their bail conditions is that they must report to the Windhoek or Oshakati police stations every Monday and Friday. They want this condition removed.

A summons has been issued and forwarded to the Namibian Police for the return of service, to ensure that Chinese businessman Hou Xue Cheng and his co-accused answer to the criminal charges. 

The environment ministry has condemned the involvement of law enforcement officers in wildlife crimes after a police officer and a member of the Namibian Defence Force were arrested for the possession of rhino horns last week. Four rhinos and one elephant have been poached this year to date. The four rhinos are all white rhinos poached on private farms while the elephant was poached in a conservancy in the Otjozondjupa Region, says Romeo Muyunda, spokesperson of the environment ministry

Less than 8% of suspects arrested in connection with wildlife crimes of high-valued species last year have been convicted. Only 23 suspects out of 304 arrested last year for rhino, elephant and pangolin wildlife crimes have been convicted thus far. A total of 1 055 suspects have been arrested in connection with wildlife crime cases since the beginning of last year to 31 July.

At Oshikango, two Namibians and two Angolans were arrested on 9 November when they were found with three pangolin skins. In another incident at Nkurenkuru, four Namibians were arrested on 9 November when they were found in possession a cane rat carcass. At Witvlei, an Angolan national and a Namibian were arrested on 9 November with an oryx carcass. Meanwhile at Kahenge, two Namibians were arrested on 12 November with three python skins. Hausiku Haimbangu and Karupa Mukwambi were charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products.

At Nkurenkuru three Namibians were arrested on 21 November for being in possession of a leopard skin and a python skin. Claudia Kambinda, Shikerete Shinyemba and Michael Domingo were all charged with illegal possession of and dealing in controlled wildlife products. In another incident at Kongola, three Zambian nationals and one Angolan were arrested on 22 November when they were found in possession of eland meat.