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Building on last year's donation of four Bat Hawk surveillance aircraft to South African National Parks (SANParks) to aid surveillance, conservation and anti-poaching efforts in the Kruger National Park, Anglo American Platinum this morning donated another Bat Hawk that will be going to SANParks' Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. In addition, a Bat Hawk aircraft will be donated to Mapungubwe National Park, which is located on the border of South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

The Limpopo endangered species unit arrested three suspects after were allegedly found in possession of a pangolin in Bochum n Sunday. They were charged with wildlife trafficking and contravening the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, Members of the unit, acting on a tip-off arrested the three suspects who were trying to sell the pangolin.

Two former government officials have been sentenced for corruption and money laundering linked to the abalone trade, the Hawks confirmed on Saturday. The officials, Winston Mervin Busch and Nomvuyo Concellia Motloung, were among a group of 18 suspects arrested in a 2018 swoop on an abalone syndicate operating in the Western Cape. The group comprised several marine inspectors from the department of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, as well as several members of an abalone poaching syndicate, the Hawks said. Twelve of the group have now been sentenced.

A zebra was allegedly killed by a poacher at the Lion Park, outside Pietermaritzburg on Thursday evening. According to a statement by the Mi7 National Group, they received information at around 7 pm from a community member who reported having witnessed a zebra being poached and skinned in the park.

In a bid to strengthen safety and curb poaching in the country's national parks, SANParks, has added a small surveillance aircraft to its anti-poaching arsenal at the Addo Elephant Park in the Eastern Cape. The aircraft was donated by mining giant Anglo American Platinum. The park says the small aircraft will be used to curb poaching and maintain biodiversity. A Senior Section Ranger at Addo Elephant National Park, Anban Padayachee, says hunting and abalone poaching is very rife in the park.

A Chinese businessman was sentenced to 10 years in prison or alternatively pay N$100 000 for the illegal possession of protected wildlife specimen in the Opuwo magistrate court on Monday.

The head of the Namibian Police, Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga, said he would dismiss with contempt any claim that the government does not have a real commitment to root out the poaching of Namibia’s wildlife. “Cabinet has allocated a lot of resources to combat and eradicate poaching. It is a costly exercise. This is an indication of how serious government is,” he stressed. Ndeitunga said it is clear that the poaching of rhinos and elephants in Namibian national parks is a well-orchestrated and well-funded transnational organised crime.

The Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Namibian Police have requested evidence from Namibia Media Holdings (NMH) as well as the executive director of Namrights, Phil ya Nangoloh, to substantiate allegations of political leaders’ involvement in rhino and elephant poaching. At a joint press briefing on Wednesday, Minister Pohamba Shifeta and police chief Inspector-General Sebastian Ndeitunga requested ya Nangoloh to submit the said evidence before the end of December.

Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta says he is not aware of any ministers or former members of parliament involved in poaching. Meanwhile, police Inspector General Sebastian Ndeitunga says he cannot deny that ministers or members of parliament were involved in poaching, but he wanted to know who they are so he can lay his hands on them. The minister and the police chief were reacting to reports in the Namibian Sun that NamRights executive director Phil ya Nangoloh had allegedly submitted a report to Ndeitunga in which political leaders are accused of involvement in…

The trial of four Chinese citizens accused of having tried to smuggle two suitcases containing rhino horns out of Namibia in March last year is scheduled to continue in the Windhoek Regional Court next month.

The State has closed its case in Namibia’s biggest rhino horn smuggling trial to date, in which four Chinese nationals stand accused of trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns out of the country. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui appeared in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura last week for the continuation of their trial. They were arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin valued at N$50 000 out of Namibia. The items were found in two luggage bags at the Hosea Kutako International Airport on March 24 last…

The State has suffered a huge blow in a rhino smuggling case, after the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura ruled that the evidence three of the four accused gave in their bail hearings cannot be used in their trial. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin, whose bail evidence was ruled on, appeared with Wang Hui yesterday. They were arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin worth N$50 000 out of Namibia last year.

The State and the defence have locked horns over the constitutional right of the accused not to incriminate themselves, in a landmark rhino horn smuggling trial involving Chinese nationals, whose families are reportedly blissfully unaware of their legal troubles in Namibia. Li Xiaoliang, Li Zhibing, Pu Xuexin and Wang Hui appeared yesterday in the Windhoek Regional Court in Katutura. They have been arrested for trying to smuggle 14 rhino horns worth more than N$2.3 million and a leopard skin of N$50 000 out of Namibia last year.