Rhino horn theft: govt officials fingered

Johannesburg - The armed robbery of seven rhino horns from a farm in Bela Bela could be linked to government officials - allegedly the only people who knew where the horns were, the farm marketing manager said on Wednesday.

"It is very strange... apart from the vets, the provincial environmental affairs department could have known where the rhino horns were," said Johan Pretorius, Thaba Manzi farm marketing manager.

"I did not even know that rhino horns were being kept on the property."

The department had issued Thaba Manzi vets Hans Kooy and Jana Pretorius with permits to hold the horns in a safe on the farm.

This was after Kooy took a decision to cut off the horns of seven rhino to prevent them from being poached.

One of his rhino was shot dead for its horn two months ago.

A gang of armed men held up the vets on Saturday night, saying: "You know why we are here."

Kooy told him he did not know what they wanted, to which they replied: "We are looking for the rhino horns."

Kooy said he and Pretorius were watching television at the Thaba Manzi lodge when the gang broke in and forced him to open his safe.

They fled with the horns, two firearms, R15 000 cash, cellphones and a laptop computer.

- SAPA

Armed gang steal rhino horns



Marietie Louw-Carstens, Beeld

Polokwane - A gang of armed robbers held up a game catcher and a veterinarian near Bela-Bela over the weekend, stealing seven rhino horns from a safe.

"You know why we are here," the four robbers told Hans Kooy and Dr Jana Pretorius when they struck at Thaba Manzi Lodge on Saturday night.

When the couple said they didn't know why, the attackers apparently said they "wanted the rhino horns".

The robbery came a day after a two-month-old rhino calf was orphaned when his mother was shot dead on a game farm outside Mookgophong. Another four rhinos were injured on the farm, but they survived and kept their horns.

Permits

Kooy received permits from the Limpopo department of environmental affairs on October 5, which gave him permission to keep the seven horns. He decided to cut the horns off the rhino on his farm after one of the animals was shot dead about two months ago and the horn was cut off.

Kooy and Pretorius were watching TV when the robbers smashed a sliding door with a pick axe. One of the men held Pretorius down on the ground while another went to the safe with Kooy. Pretorius's 9mm pistol, R15 000 cash, a laptop, cellphones and a .375 revolver were also taken.

The robbers are still at large. Police are also still looking for the poachers who shot the rhino near Mookgophong.

Last Friday, Mike Boon sent farm workers to look for the rhino cow because her calf had been wandering around alone for two days on his farm Vlakfontein. They found her carcass.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ronel Otto said there were three bullet holes in the rhino. Both horns were chopped off with an axe. A total of 24 cartridges were found at the carcass. It would appear as though the rhino was shot with a small calibre firearm.

Tranquilised

A helicopter was used to look for the rhino calf. While Dr Louis Greeff, a vet from Thabazimbi, looked for the calf, four injured rhino were seen from the helicopter on Vlakfontein. Their horns had not been chopped off.

The calf and the four injured rhino were tranquilised from the helicopter on Saturday. The rhino were treated for gunshot wounds. The calf was not injured and was taken to a boma on the farm.

Boon did not want to comment on the incident.

This poaching incident was the first one in Limpopo since the 11 alleged members of a rhino syndicate appeared in the Musina court about a month ago.

- Beeld

Wow - Now how can we manipulate this and claim SCI and the Executive Committe were behind this latest RSA atrocity? I am sure someone will make a connection?

Looks like the officials in RSA are turning a blind eye as usual.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member