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Namibian Wildlife Crimes article archive
This archive of published media articles about wildlife crime in Namibia aims to:
- provide easy public access to published information and statistics
- enable easy stakeholder access to articles
- provide a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia
Public access to information is a vital component of ensuring community engagement in prevalent issues. Wildlife crime is one of the pressing environmental issues of our time.
Wildlife crime investigations are generally covert operations requiring utmost confidentiality to succeed. Investigations and prosecutions in complex cases may take months or even years to complete. For this reason, the information that can be released to the public without compromising cases is often limited. Nonetheless, the Namibian government strives to share as much information as possible with the public.
The Namibian media has welcomed this approach and regularly publishes statistics and feature articles on wildlife crime. These are entered into the database at regular intervals, creating a comprehensive archive of wildlife crime reporting in Namibia.
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In the Eastern Cape, Justin Terblanche is known for his love of rhinos. The anti-poacher shares that he's known as the 'Rhino Whisperer' in the area and that his life's mission lies in protecting the gentle giants who once roamed the Earth with far more freedom and in far greater numbers. "Losing [rhinos] would leave an irreplaceable void in the natural world," says Justin. "If we don’t act now, future generations may never see a rhino roaming wild." Working at Lombardini Game Farm, Justin has seen first-hand the impact of poaching. The land was once home to 19 rhinos.
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| SA_2025_05_Anti_poacher on a mission to ramp up rhino protection_Good Things Guy.pdf | 116.56 KB |
Tiny plants in plastic pots, each carefully labeled, cram a South African greenhouse. Each is the evidence of at least one crime. These are strange plants without typical stems or leaves. Some look like greenish thumb-tips, others like grapes or rounded stones. Some sprout small, bright flowers. Few are more than an inch tall. I've agreed not to disclose this location because the plants, confiscated from poachers and smugglers, are valuable and could be re-stolen by the same criminal networks that first dug them from their natural habitats to traffic overseas.
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| SA_2025_03_A craze for tiny plants is driving a poaching crisis in South Africa_Yale E360.pdf | 539.26 KB |
The rhino poaching trial in which Wiseman Mageba and Dumisani Gwala are co-accused was today (Thursday) adjourned to July owing to the State prosecutor’s unavailability because of a family tragedy.
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| SA_2023_05_Rhino poaching kingpin_Trial adjourned_accuseds bail condition waived_Zululand Observer.pdf | 194.54 KB |
Day three of the rhino poaching trial involving alleged 'kingpin' Dumisani Gwala and his co-accused Wiseman Mageba is under way at Mtubatuba Regional Court, following cross-examination of the State witness yesterday (Wednesday). Magistrate Anand Maharaj, presiding over the case, on Wednesday cautioned State witness - former SAPS investigating officer of the case Jean Pierre van zyl Roux - about speculating about allegations that Gwala had the 'police in his pocket'.
Wiseman Mageba and his co-accused Dumisani Gwala have pleaded not guilty to rhino
poaching allegations in a case which resumed at Mtubatuba Regional Court today
(Tuesday). The pair face a combined 12 charges relating to the alleged illegal purchase and possession
of rhino horn, resisting arrest, and attempted murder.
| Attachment | Size |
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| SA_2023_05_Mtubatuba rhino poaching accused plead not guilty_Zululandobserver.pdf | 192.3 KB |