Six individuals accused of involvement in a high-level rhino horn trafficking syndicate have been released on bail following their appearance at the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court. The charges they face include racketeering, fraud, environmental crime, theft, and money laundering — all stemming from what authorities believe is a deeply coordinated illegal operation that spanned nearly a decade.
The group, which includes professionals from a wide range of industries, is alleged to have operated a sophisticated international network, disguising illegal rhino horn exports as legal domestic trade.
Among those released on bail is John Frederick Hume, aged 83, the former founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise, a name long associated with private rhino conservation efforts in South Africa. Hume was granted bail set at R100,000.
Others accused include Clive John Mervan Melville (63), a Transport Maintenance Manager, and Elizabeth Catharina Van Niekerk (58), who serves as Director of a non-profit organisation. Both were released on R10,000 bail each. The remaining accused — Izak Hermanus Du Toit (50), a practising attorney; Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel (37), an insurance broker and part-time farmer; and Johannes Abraham Hennop (52), a game reserve manager — were granted bail of R20,000 each.
They are jointly facing 55 charges which include multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contraventions of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), violations of the Riotous Assemblies Act, as well as theft and money laundering.
The core of the state’s case hinges on claims that between 2017 and 2024, the accused misled the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) by securing legal permits to trade rhino horns locally, all while planning to funnel them into illicit markets abroad — particularly in Southeast Asia, a region long associated with demand for rhino horn in traditional medicine and ornamentation. Authorities estimate the operation involved at least 964 rhino horns, with a total market value of approximately R250 million.
The suspects were not apprehended through raids or arrests but rather voluntarily handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central Police Station on 19 August 2025. This came after a long-running investigation by the Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (DPCI) Serious Organised Crime Unit, operating from national headquarters.
During bail proceedings, each of the six accused pleaded for release, arguing they were not flight risks and had cooperated fully with investigators. Their affidavits, however, revealed previous legal troubles connected to wildlife crime.
Despite these prior incidents, the State, represented by Advocate Patsy Jacobs, did not oppose bail. She presented an affidavit from the investigating officer, Edward Du Plessis, which confirmed that the accused had fixed addresses and had shown full cooperation. Nevertheless, the State requested that bail be granted under strict conditions to prevent obstruction of justice or tampering with evidence.
The Pretoria Magistrates’ Court imposed the following bail conditions on all six individuals:
- They must surrender their passports and are prohibited from applying for new travel documents.
- They are required to report weekly to their nearest police station.
- They are forbidden from interfering with the investigation, tampering with evidence, or attempting to influence any witnesses.
- They are prohibited from committing any further offences while out on bail.
The case has now been postponed to 9 December 2025 in Court 16, where investigations are expected to continue. The prosecution is likely to delve deeper into the financial, legal and ecological impact of the alleged syndicate, while questions remain about how such a vast number of rhino horns could have moved through regulatory systems without detection.
This latest case once again shines a spotlight on the intersection between conservation, commerce and criminality in South Africa’s fight against rhino poaching and trafficking. It also raises ongoing concerns about the robustness of permit systems and whether existing frameworks are sufficient to guard against abuse.
South Africa remains home to the majority of the world’s rhinos, and cases such as this underline the challenges that law enforcement, conservationists, and legislators face in protecting one of the country’s most iconic species.
