Key facts
- Two rhino horn traffickers, Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus, have been sentenced in South Africa.
- The case involved over 1,700 charges including illegal hunting, dehorning, racketeering, and money laundering.
- Groenewald, described as the 'mastermind', received a 2 million rand fine or four years imprisonment.
- Erasmus was fined 100,000 rand or given a three-year prison sentence.
- The investigation into the trafficking ring began in 2007.
Two individuals have been sentenced in South Africa for their involvement in rhino horn trafficking, in a case described by police as the world's largest of its kind. Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus faced a combined total of over 1,700 charges, including illegal hunting, dehorning of rhinos, racketeering, and money laundering.
Groenewald, identified by police as the "mastermind" behind the operation, reached a plea deal and was sentenced to a 2 million rand fine or four years in prison. Erasmus received a 100,000 rand fine or three years imprisonment. The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks unit, announced the sentences.
South Africa is home to a significant portion of the world's critically endangered black rhinos and a majority of southern white rhinos. However, the country faces severe rhino-horn poaching, accounting for 81% of poaching incidents in Africa in 2024. Rhino horn is sought after in traditional Chinese medicine, despite lacking proven health benefits, and can command high prices on the black market.
The investigation into this trafficking ring began in 2007, with initial arrests made in 2010 involving professional hunters, veterinarians, and other personnel. The case endured over 15 years of legal challenges, including constitutional court proceedings, with some original accused and witnesses dying or emigrating during the lengthy process. Cases against three other individuals, Karel Toet, Marisa Toet, and Koos Pronk, have been postponed to August 20.