Saving rhinos is a litmus test for tackling organised crime and corruption in South Africa
Eleven years ago today, Dawie Groenewald, a little-known ex-policeman turned hunting safari operator, was arrested on charges of masterminding a lucrative rhino horn trafficking network involving professional hunters, vets and a pilot. A police spokesperson described the case at the time as "a huge stride in our undying efforts to thwart rhino poaching". The charges brought against Groenewald involved illegal hunting and the alleged killing of more than 50 of his own rhinos, dealing in rhino horns, money laundering, racketeering and fraud. Groenewald’s arrest was lauded as an example of South African law enforcement agencies collaborating to target wildlife criminals.
This article is part of the Namibian Wildlife Crime article archive. The archive aims to:
» Search the Namibian wildlife crime article archive.