Minister Welcomes Airport Arrest of Suspected Rhino Horn Smuggler

PRETORIA – The Minister of Environmental Affairs Dr Edna Molewa, has congratulated the Green Scorpions, Customs staff at OR Tambo International Airport, a security company and HAWKS for the arrest on Saturday of a suspected rhino horn smuggler after he attempted to take a flight to Hong Kong.

The suspect – a Chinese national – was intercepted after attempting to take a transit flight to Hong Kong.

Three rhino horns with a total mass of 9.4kg and an estimated value of R12.2 m were seized.

The horns were discovered after the suspect’s luggage was screened by border and customs officials. The 48 year old suspect was expected to appear in court today (but no update has yet been issued by the minister.)

Molewa said it was the joint work and effective coordination of all the entities involved that led to the successful detection, seizure and arrest.

The Green Scorpions – the department’s Environmental Management Inspectorate – are stationed at a number of ports of entry and exit to increase capability to detect incidents of smuggling of wild specimens, as part of the Department’s Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros approach under implementation since 2014.

This significant arrest came on the eve of the opening of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

CITES COP17 has been billed the largest of its kind in the history of the Convention. The illicit trade in rhino horn and rhino horn products is one of the subjects likely to garner significant attention during the conference.

“With South Africa being the home to the world’s largest rhino population, naturally all eyes will be on us at CITES COP17 as we discuss the impact of the transnational illicit trade in wildlife on our rhino population,” says Minister Molewa.

“South Africa is currently experiencing a decrease in the rate of rhino poaching, and at the same time an increase in the number of arrests for poaching related offences. Slowly but surely our Integrated Strategic Management of Rhinoceros approach is yielding success: we are now getting much better at addressing wildlife crime in a more integrated and coordinated manner,” says Minister Molewa.

In the past week there have been arrests of four Mozambican and two South African suspected rhino poachers in relation to two separate incidents in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

Between 1 January and the end of August 2016 a total of 414 alleged poachers have been arrested in South Africa – of which 177 were in the Kruger National Park and 237 for the rest of the country.

The Integrated Strategic approach involves the Department of Environmental Affairs, the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), the South African Police Service (SAPS), South African State Security Agency, Justice and Correctional Services Department, South African National Parks (SANParks), South African Revenue Service (SARS) and provincial conservation agencies.

It has a number of key pillars, namely:

• Compulsory interventions,
• Managing rhino populations,
• Long-term sustainability interventions, and
• New interventions, within the context of regional and international cooperation

Source: Sanparks.org.za