Alleged members of a South African rhino horn syndicate will appear in court again on October 12th.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has informed reporters that “explosive” evidence is going to be revealed Tuesday in the high-profile rhino horn syndicate case involving George Fletcher of Sandhurst Safaris and Gert Saaiman of Saaiman Hunting Safaris.
Appearing in the North Gauteng High Court briefly on Monday with Fletcher and Saaiman were alleged syndicate members Frans van Deventer and Kumaran Moodaly. However, South African media such as the Times Live and Eyewitness News reported that charges against Moodaly were withdrawn.
George Fletcher, Gerhardus Saaiman and Frans van Deventer sat as far away from Kumaran Moodaly as the bench allowed. They made no eye contact with Moodaly as the charges against him were withdrawn and made no effort to speak to him after the judge adjourned Monday’s proceedings.
Following a statement submitted last week by one of the investigators, the decision was made to have the suspects return to court on Tuesday.
The National Prosecuting Authority will lodge an application to postpone the trial on Tuesday based on a statement submitted by an investigating officer last week.
NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga warned that the State would reveal “explosive” evidence on Tuesday.
You need to come to court tomorrow because the evidence is going to be explosive and it’s going to cause some tensions between the state and the defence.
Multiple charges have been brought against the alleged Fletcher-Saaiman syndicate, including racketeering, money laundering, various counts of theft, malicious damage to property and contraventions of the various provincial Conservation Acts and the Aviation Act.
Brothers expected to testify against each other
Three syndicate members, Pieter Swart, and the van Deventer brothers, Nicholaas and Gideon, have already been convicted and are expected to testify against Fletcher, Saaiman, and the third van Deventer brother.
Nicholaas van Deventer was sentenced to five years in prison, of which half was suspended, and his brother Gideon was given a 10-year sentence, of which two years were suspended. Swart was fined R50000 and a given a three-year suspended sentence.
In an interview with Africa Geographic‘s Ian Michler, Nicholaas and Gideon van Deventer 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, Gideon van Deventer 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.
Assets seized
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 earlier this year in The Mercury that his client “made up” the syndicate story to receive a lesser punishment and that his assets were not actually seized.
Illegal rhino horn trade is ‘booming’ business
Rhino poaching has returned to South Africa with a vengeance and the illegal rhino horn business is booming. The killing has reached a 16-year high, with more than 600 rhinos slaughtered since 2005.
Helicopters, tranquilizer darts, and chainsaws are the tools of the trade for well-funded rhino horn 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 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 and found to be of no medicinal value.
Most rhino horn leaving southern Africa is destined for China and Vietnam, according to the latest research by TRAFFIC.
Sources: Times Live and Eyewitness News
National Prosecuting Authority
Michler, I. (2008) Tip of the Horn. Africa Geographic, September 2008, 31 – 33.
Carnie, T. “Tracking down the ‘Boere rhino mafia’.” The Mercury June 8th, 2010.
Image: Saving Rhinos LLC
See Rhino Horn is Not Medicine for more information.