Criminal Trial Begins in October for South African Safari Operators Accused of Killing Rhinos, Dealing in Rhino Horn

At least nine people are scheduled to stand trial next month for their suspected involvement with the illegal rhino horn trade.

The long-awaited trial of nine rhino crime syndicate suspects is scheduled to begin on October 11th in the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria. The accused include George Fletcher of Sandhurst Safaris and Gert Saaiman of Saaiman Hunting Safaris.

The National Prosecuting Authority named George Clayton Fletcher, Gerhardus Bartlomeus Saaiman, Frans Andries van Deventer, Kumaran Moodaley, along with five other respondents.

Multiple charges have been brought against this group, including racketeering, money laundering, various counts of theft, malicious damage to property and contraventions of the various provincial Conservation Acts and the Aviation Act.

It is alleged that the accused committed these offences as members of a group consisting of hunters, a pilot, middlemen (agents) and buyers, who illegally hunted rhinos and traded in the horns stolen from the rhino carcasses. The Aerostar was used to locate the rhinos in various National Parks around the country. It was also used to transport poachers to different national parks where the rhinos were spotted. The rhinos would be shot and dehorned.

Fletcher and Saaiman were reportedly busted in police sting operations.

Hours after Fletcher’s arrest, almost R1-million (US$135, 500) in cash and 12 unlicensed firearms were found in his home.

Earlier this year, the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) was granted authority to seize over R40 million in properties belonging to the suspects.

These include the residential properties of the accused and all other properties in which they have an interest, such as George Fletcher’s seven farms, situated at Sandhurst Safaris in Tosca in the North West province. The seven farms are registered in a trust, named “Fletcher Trust”, of which George Fletcher is a trustee. There is also a helicopter, which is in Mozambique at present and an Aerostar small aeroplane belonging to Saaiman. Some of the accused also have business interests which have also been restrained.

Fletcher and Saaiman are believed to be two of the “masterminds” behind the syndicate.

However, Saaiman’s attorney stated in The Mercury that his client “made up” the syndicate story to receive a lesser punishment and that his assets were not actually seized.

Killing rhinos while out on bail

Two other members of the syndicate, Nicolaas van Deventer and Gideon “Deon” van Deventer, received jail sentences after confessing to killing 19 white rhinos. They used a variety of weapons borrowed from fellow hunters and illegally loaned from gun shops.

In an interview with Africa Geographic‘s Ian Michler, they admitted to killing calves as well as adult rhinos.

Eighteen died within close proximity to where they were shot and one escaped wounded. Of the total, 16 were adults and three were calves, killed because they kept milling around their dead mothers. Eight of the rhinos were shot in the southern reaches of the Kruger National Park, two in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi and the rest on private game farms owned by people known to the syndicate members.

According to The Mercury, “Deon” had been arrested previously in Kroonstad for possession of rhino horns from a rhino he killed near Bela Bela, and was out on bail when he was taken into custody.

More suspected syndicate members in court

Last week, Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris’ Dawie Groenewald appeared in the Musina magistrate’s court, along with ten others suspected of rhino crime syndicate involvement. It was found that Groenewald had also purchased www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/09/26/rhino-crime-syndicate-suspect-purchased-nearly-30-rhinos-from-kruger-national-park nearly 30 rhinos from Kruger National Park, which authorities suspect were butchered for their horns and buried www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/09/23/investigators-searching-for-mass-grave-of-rhinos-on-poaching-suspects-property on Groenewald’s “Pragtig” farm.

Although rhinos can be de-horned, there is speculation that Groenewald killed the rhinos to avoid upkeep costs, which would have decreased the profit margin between the sale of the rhino’s horns and the purchase price of a live rhino.

Rhino horn costs between USD $20 000 (R140 000) per kilo and a rhino bull’s horn weighs about 5kg. A live rhino was valued at between R130 000 and R300 000 in South Africa.

Groenewald and the others were granted www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/09/22/world-watches-in-dismay-as-south-african-court-grants-bail-to-eleven-rhino-poachers bail by the Musina court’s magistrate Errol Luiters. The release date coincided with World Rhino Day www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/09/21/join-together-for-world-rhino-day-september-22, an event to raise awareness about South Africa’s rhino poaching scourge.

Veterinarians and professional hunters are among the accused:

Sariette Groenewald – Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris
Tielman Erasmus – professional hunter
Dr. Karel Toet – Nylstroom animal clinic and Limpopo Wildlife
Marisa Toet – Nylstroom animal clinic and Limpopo Wildlife
Dr. Manie du Plessis – Nylstroom animal clinic
Marthinus Pronk
Dewald Gouws
Leon van der Merwe
Paul Matomela
Nordus Rossouw

The suspected rhino crime syndicate members are schedule to appear in court again on April 11th, 2011, to face charges of assault, fraud, corruption, malicious damage to property, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and contravening the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act.

Rhino poaching at 16-year high

Rhino poaching has returned to South Africa with a vengeance. The scourge has reached a 16-year high, with more than 600 rhinos killed since 2005.

Helicopters, tranquilizer darts, and chainsaws are the tools of the trade for well-funded rhino crime syndicates. Rhinos are darted from the helicopter and then the horn is removed with a chainsaw, cutting into the rhino’s skull, often while the rhino is still alive. The rhino is then left to die a slow and painful death.

Tom Millken of wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC www.traffic.org points out that technology has made it easy for a rhino horn to enter the illegal market quickly.

There are 100 million cellphones in Africa. Everyone is connected now. A guy can make a call from a game reserve and say ‘I’ve got the horn, come pick me up’.

Then a car is (organised) to pick him up and in a day or two he can be on a flight out of the country. This was not happening years ago.

Illegal rhino horn is still in high demand for traditional medicines in China and Vietnam, despite the fact that rhino horn has been extensively analyzed http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/07/rhino-horn-and-traditional-chinese-medicine-facts.html and found to be of no medicinal value.

Most rhino horn leaving southern Africa is destined www.rhinoconservation.org/2010/08/09/illegal-rhino-horn-from-southern-africa-destined-for-china-and-vietnam-not-yemen for China and Vietnam, according to the latest research by TRAFFIC www.traffic.org.