The SAPS Limpopo Endangered Species Unit, in collaboration with Wildlife Security, has apprehended five suspects allegedly involved in rhino poaching and the illegal trade of elephant tusks on Thursday 28 March 2024.
This team of members followed intelligence about suspects planning to poach rhinos at a game reserve in Gravellote outside Phalaborwa. The suspects’ vehicle was intercepted along the R529 road in Letsitele policing area.
During the operation, law enforcement officers recovered a rifle without bolt, silencer, and an elephant tusk at a house in gaSekororo village in Maake policing area.
The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has lauded the joint efforts and highlighted the commitment of SAPS and Wildlife Security in combating wildlife crime and preserving endangered species.
The five male suspects aged between between 33 and 45 will appear before the Magistrate’s Courts in Letsitele and Maake respectively on 02 April 2024, on charges of conspiracy to commit rhino poaching, possession of unlicensed firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of an elephant tusk and contravention of the Immigration Act.
