Dawie Groenewald: ’Legal rhino hunt’ took place on suspected poacher’s farm

Eyewitness News has learnt that suspected rhino poacher Dawie Groenewald is linked to this weekend’s arrest of two Vietnamese nationals in Musina.

Groenewald is currently out on R1 million bail after he was arrested for rhino poaching together with two vets in September 2010.

The pair was arrested on Saturday while trying to leave South Africa with four rhino horns. They were legally hunting on one of Groenewald’s farms.

Police said the two were arrested because they failed to have their trophy kills mounted by a taxidermist and the horns were not chipped.

When police searched Groenewald’s farm last year, they discovered over 30 rhino carcasses. Media reports described his farm as an ‘animal slaughterhouse’.

Law enforcement officials said they will investigate all aspects of the latest arrests.

Meanwhile, South African National Parks (SANParks) on Monday said around 21 rhino were killed in January and around 31 people have been arrested for rhino poaching.

Police probe deepens into rhino poaching suspects


Police say they will investigate all aspects surrounding the arrest of two Vietnamese nationals in connection with rhino poaching. The pair was caught at Wonderboom Airport, in northern Pretoria, trying to leave the country with four rhino horns.

Eyewitness News understands the rhino were killed on a farm belonging to poaching accused Dawie Groenewald.

The pair was arrested for not following procedure in exporting the horns but the police’s investigation will need to look deeper into the links between legal hunting and poaching.

Groenewald was arrested with two vets and eight others last year - and is due to return to court in April.

South African National Parks (SANParks) said 21 rhino have been killed this month while 31 people have been arrested.

This is going to mean fireworks at the next COP meeting and I'll be bloody astounded if there's not at least an attempt to withdraw all sport hunting rhino quota as a consequence of this.

My guess is by the end of that COP meeting, legal rhino hunting will be a thing of the past.

Steve, The question I ask, is how the hell are these individuals still able to legally hunt Rhino on a Groenewald property??. Surely the issue of licences /permits etc ceases when one is under an investigation of such magnitude. I understand the concept of innocent until proven guilty but given his history and the fact that 30 rhino carcasses were found on his property....surely thats grounds for suspension of all trading and activity....

The question is how high does the rot start?
Until these crimes are investigated and the culprits brought to book and the sentences fit the crimes, nothing will happen.
To date, very few of the arrests have resulted in prosecution, let alone sentencing.
Everything is "under investigation"

Frosty,

I agree completely mate.... I find it astounding that the entire operation hasn't been closed down completely! - I'm also astounded those two guys were given their passports back and allowed to leave the country.

John,

I'd bet a pound to a pinch of the smelly brown stuff that the guys at the top will NEVER, EVER be nailed, if only for the simple reason that they'll almost certainly be able to claim diplomatic immunity and simply walk away...... and until the guys at the very top are nailed, or all the rhinos in Africa are dead, the problem is going to continue...... but that's not really news to any of us.

I reckon we'll see a time when rhinos are shipped out to safe (or should that be safer?) haven in places like the USA..... but to do that, someone will have to find an awful lot of money to fund the operation and even then, will still have to take a lot of care to protect them from poachers there....... money talks and these guys appear to have absolutely no shortage of that particular commodity.

As I've said before, maybe the only long term answer is to simply sell the damn rhinos to the orientals and let them farm and genetically modify them.

Too right. As things stand, farming horn is the only practical solution. It will be a lot cheaper and commercially attractive than poaching it, paying cuts to numerous brokers and government douche bags and transporting it illegally across international borders.