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Reports of drone sightings in rural parts of the country are raising concern among farmers, who suspect the devices may be used for poaching and livestock theft. According to the Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), more farmers are reporting drones flying over farms and remote homesteads, especially at night. The union said the sightings have sparked questions about possible links to recent criminal activity. In response, a group of concerned individuals has created a protocol to track drone sightings and compare them with reports of theft or poaching.

The Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism has announced a complete ban on drones within Etosha National Park, citing escalating security concerns linked to rhino poaching. Colgar Sikopo, the ministry’s deputy executive director of Natural Resource Management, stated that while drones were previously permitted under strict conditions, the increasing misuse by visitors has necessitated a stricter approach. "Many visitors have been entering the park and using drones with no such permission.

Two Windhoek High Court judges have reduced an effective prison term of nine years to which a Zambezi region resident was sentenced for dealing in elephant tusks to five years’ imprisonment. Sipangule Kushonya's sentence was lowered in an appeal judgement delivered by judges Naomi Shivute and Philanda Christiaan yesterday. Kushonya (39) was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment, of which three years were suspended for a period of five years, in April 2022, after he had been found guilty in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate's Court on a charge of dealing in two elephant tusks.

A seal products company owner accused of illegally trying to export seal genitals from Namibia has been granted bail in an amount of N$50 000, after spending two months in custody. Chinese citizen Hou Xuecheng (48) was granted bail in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court at Katutura on Friday. Magistrate Wilka Amalwa ordered that Hou should surrender all of his travelling documents to the police officer investigating the case in which he was arrested nearly nine weeks ago and that he may not interfere with state witnesses or the investigation of his case while free on bail.

More than a week after the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources announced a N$10 000 reward for information regarding the deliberate killing of Cape Cormorants near Henties Bay, no leads have emerged. The ministry's spokesperson, Uaripi Katjiukua, confirmed on Thursday that not a single member of the public has come forward with vital information. "We are, however, confident that some information will be forthcoming and that we will be able to initiate a criminal investigation soon," she said.

A fromer police officer who was kicked out of the Namibian Police after being arrested on rhino-poaching and firearms charges has lost a Supreme Court appeal about his dismissal. Former detective inspector Wersimus Haipa’s appeal to the Supreme Court was dismissed in a judgement delivered on Friday. Haipa appealed against a High Court judgement in which an application by him to have his discharge from the police reviewed and set aside was dismissed in May this year.

A deadly exchange of gunfire during which three suspected poachers were killed occurred over the weekend in the Etosha National Park. According to the Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Joseph Shikongo the fatal exchange of gunfire followed a routine patrol by members of the Anti-Poaching Unit. "The confrontation began on Friday evening when anti-poaching officers, during their routine patrols along the park’s perimeter, discovered suspicious shoeprints indicating an illegal entry through the fence.

The environmental commissioner has been ordered to decide by next Thursday whether environmental clearance certificates issued to a holder of mining claims in the Kunene region should be suspended or cancelled. Judge Esi Schimming-Chase issued the order in the Windhoek High Court yesterday. She also ordered that no mining activities may take place on eight mining claims held by Windhoek resident Ottilie Ndimulunde until the environmental commissioner has made his decision.

A case in which two Kunene conservancies, a traditional authority and a tourism company tried to get a court order to stop mining activities and the construction of a road in their area is not urgent, a judge ruled in the Windhoek High Court on Friday. Judge Orben Sibeya ruled that an application filed by the Doro !Nawas and Ûibasen Twyfelfontein conservancies, the ≠Aodaman Traditional Authority and the company, Ultimate Safaris, two weeks ago does not meet the requirements to be heard as an urgent matter.

Mining operations will pose a direct threat to critically endangered black rhinos in an area south-west of Khorixas. This is detailed in an urgent application filed at the Windhoek High Court by two communal conservancies, a traditional authority and a tourism operator. Black rhinos in the area will be under increased threat of poaching or migrate out of the area if plans to start mining operations go ahead, the Doro !Nawas and Ûibasen Twyfelfontein conservancies, the ≠Aodaman Traditional Authority and the company Ultimate Safaris claimed in an urgent application filed on Friday…

The government convened a stakeholder forum on wildlife protection and relevant law enforcement issues. This initiative comes in response to the increasing concerns highlighted by international financial institutions, which have listed environmental crimes, including wildlife crimes and money laundering, among the top threats in Namibia’s national risk assessment. The forum is also partly aimed at preventing Namibia from being grey-listed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

Convicted poacher Derrick Brockerhoff appeared in the Swakopmund Magistrate's Court on Thursday after several warrants of arrest were updated and executed last week. The notorious poacher was arrested in the mountains behind the Eros Neighbourhood of Windhoek almost a month ago when he was caught red-handed with the carcasses of a gemsbok and a kudu.

A recent case involving the arrest of a Tanzanian national and three Namibians has shed light on a disturbing trend of international poaching syndicates exploiting local communities in Namibia for illegal harvesting of endangered plant and animal species. This illicit trade is not only threatening the nation's unique plant species but also endangering the livelihoods of its people.

A 42-year-old man has been sentenced to a decade behind bars at the Kuruman Regional Court after being nabbed with 2 850 endangered and protected plants worth more than R9 million. 

People that have settled in communities in various areas of the Etosha National Park, one of
Namibia's premier tourist attractions are decimating wildlife by using wire snares to kill animals for
food.

An intelligence-driven operation earlier this week led to the arrest in the Oshikoto Region of two residents of Windhoek who stand accused of trading in controlled wildlife products. According to a report about the arrest, provided by the commander of the Namibian Police in Oshikoto Region, Commissioner Teopoline Kalompo-Nashikaku, information received by investigators suggested that the two suspects were on their way to the south after completing a transaction where they were seen selling a pangolin skin.

A businessman whose case involving alleged wildlife crimes was struck off the court roll last week has been summoned to return to the Windhoek Regional Court on the same charges in November.

A Chinese businessman who has been facing charges of dealing in controlled wildlife products over the past eight years left the Windhoek Magistrate's Court as a free man yesterday, after his case was struck from the court roll. The state alleged that the five men illegally dealt in four elephant tusks in Windhoek on 11 June 2014.

The owners of two cars that were used to transport pangolin skins are set to lose their vehicles to the state, following an order given in the Windhoek High Court yesterday. In terms of an order given by judge Shafimana Ueitele, a Nissan NP200 bakkie and Nissan Tiida sedan seized by the police in the Grootfontein district four years ago have now been declared forfeited to the state.

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 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.

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.

A Windhoek resident who admitted he possessed rhino horns in the city nearly five years ago suffered an expensive loss at the end of his trial in the Windhoek Regional Court on Friday, with a luxury vehicle which the police had seized from him declared forfeited to the state.

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.

The 30-year prison term of a cattle poacher, who successfully challenged the constitutionality of the severe sentences which were prescribed for stock thieves in Namibia, has been reduced to 12 years by the Supreme Court.

An evangelical preacher who has been in jail since May after being arrested over the possession of rhino horns and the poaching of a rhino in the Gobabis district on Friday denied guilt on a charge of bribery in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court.

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.

An Angolan teacher facing charges over the theft of 33 rhino horns during a burglary at Outjo last year was correctly refused bail by a magistrate in May, a High Court judge has ruled.

A self-styled 'prophet' who has been in police custody for the past two months after being arrested on charges of rhino poaching and dealing in or possessing two rhino horns, is planning to apply for bail this week. Jackson Babi, who uses the title 'prophet' and is the founder of the House of Joy Ministries evangelical religious group in Windhoek, will launch a bail application in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court on Thursday, defence lawyer Kadhila Amoomo informed magistrate Linus Samunzala during a court appearance by Babi and a co-accused, Frizans Naululu Dumeni, on Friday…

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…

Religious preacher Jackson Babi, who is facing criminal charges after rhino horns were allegedly discovered in his house in Windhoek, is claiming the police's search of his home and also his second arrest last week were unlawful.

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.

A Windhoek-based preacher who was last week arrested after two rhino horns were allegedly found at his house is due to apply for bail in the Windhoek Magistrate's Court tomorrow.

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.

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. 

A business man based in northern Namibia who is charged over the poaching of two rhinos near Etosha National Park is facing an extended stay in jail, after his appeal against being denied bail failed in the Windhoek High Court last week.

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.

Three men accused of smuggling elephant tusks and attempting to sell the wildlife contraband to undercover detectives in Walvis Bay is set to bring a formal bail application to the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s court later today. Dirk Vermeulen, Edgar Clark were arrested almost three weeks ago and their co-accused Micheal Lusse was arrested a few days later in connection with the sale of two elephant tusks. They were all remanded in custody during the initial appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court Three more suspects have been arrested after the Namibian Police…

THE 25-year-old Tjingeje Muhuka and Mbinda Kenahama also aged 25, who stands accused of attempting to sell an elephant tusk to undercover detectives at the start of the weekend, were remanded in custody until 19 October after the made their first appearance in the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court on Monday. The two accused persons were arrested on charges of possession and trade in protected wildlife products after they attempted to sell a single elephant tusk and a dried pangolin skin to undercover detectives In Walvis Bay on Friday evening.

A STING operation executed by members of the Namibian Police in the Erongo Region that were joined by officers from other regions in country saw the arrest of two men in Walvis Bay who attempted to sell elephant tusks to undercover detectives. According to Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, Erongo Regional Crime Investigations Coordinator, the two suspects aged 41 and 51 were arrested after they tried to finalise the transaction on Saturday afternoon.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism have mobilised all available resources to collaborate with the Namibian Police in tracing the 34 rhino horns that was stolen from a house in Outjo during a burglary.
According to the MET’s Director of Wildlife and National Parks, Colgar Sikopo, the incident is a cause of serious concern for the ministry as the custodial authority because of the reputational damage the incident caused to Namibia as a responsible manager of wildlife and other natural resources.

THE protection and management Namibian wildlife and products derived from it will suffer immeasurable damage after 34 rhino horns and millions in local and foreign currency with a total value of N$100 million was stolen on an unguarded hunting farm in the district of Outjo over the weekend. One of the most comprehensive investigations were launched by the Inspector General of the Namibian Police, Lieutenant General Sebastian Ndeitunga, into the theft and especially the circumstances surrounding the theft while the police legal department on the instruction of the general…

Three security officers and three employees of the Namibia Airports Company (NAC) are in custody at the Hosea Kutako International Airport after they killed two near extinct African wild dogs and wounded another one that was part of a pack of five in order to steal a kudu carcass that the animals managed to kill on the world famous N/a’an ku sê wildlife sanctuary where the animals were in the process of being rehabilitated.

The arrest of four people in the Zambezi Region on Sunday while they were in possession of wildlife contraband during concentrated operations by Namibian law enforcement agencies, revealed a smuggling route that stretches over Namibia’s borders with neighbouring Botswana and Zambia. The four accused persons, of whom two are teenage children and the third a Zambian national, appeared in three separate cases in the Katima Mulilo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

An elderly Chinese man who admitted that he had illegal wildlife products, including a rhinoceros horn, and a firearm in his possession at the start of last year was sentenced to pay fines totalling N$156 000 by the Windhoek Regional Court this week.

A wild car chase through the streets of Okahandja that ended in a minor motor vehicle accident resulted in the arrest of the 50-year-old Frieda Goses, a well known stock theft suspect from Otjimbingwe.