Mpumalanga police have arrested two suspects after officers spotted a suspicious silver Toyota Etios, stopped it and found two rhino horns, two hunting rifles and ammunition inside the vehicle.
The incident occurred Wednesday, July 22, at about 11:45 p.m. when members of the Middelburg Flying Squad were patrolling the N12 between Ogies and Kendal.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said officers noticed the vehicle, which had Mpumalanga registration plates, and stopped and searched the two occupants and the car.
“Inside the vehicle, they found a black jacket covering two rhino horns and two hunting rifles,” Ndubane said.
Police also recovered rounds of ammunition from the vehicle.
Ndubane said the two suspects were arrested and will appear at Witbank Magistrate’s Court soon, facing charges of possession of rhino horns and possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
Last month, IOL reported that a decade-long legal battle involving one of the most prominent rhino horn trafficking cases has finally come to an end after the trafficking mastermind Dawie Groenewald entered into a plea and sentence agreement with the State in the Polokwane High Court in Limpopo.
The case, which has been before the courts for more than ten years, was finalised on June 19, 2026. Groenewald and his co-accused, Tielman Erasmus, were represented by advocates Thomas Grobler and Johann Winnertz.
Groenewald, who was regarded by prosecutors as the mastermind behind a large-scale rhino horn trafficking enterprise, pleaded guilty to charges linked to racketeering, wildlife crime and money laundering activities dating back to 2008.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson (NPA) Mashudu Malabi said that Groenewald was sentenced to a fine of R2 million- or four-year imprisonment, and a further 10 years’ imprisonment suspended for 5 years, with strict conditions
Malabi added that Groenewald also received substantial fines and prison sentences on several other counts to which he pleaded guilty. Collectively, these additional penalties amount to more than R10 million in fines and 36 years’ imprisonment.
“The sentences effectively restricted Groenewald for the next five years to act strictly in accordance with legislation relating to his rhino-related activities and or other restricted wildlife activities or face a lengthy prison sentence if he does not comply with the strict conditions contained in the sentences imposed in terms of the plea and sentence agreement,” said Malabi.
Image: Supplied/SAPS
According to Malabi, charges against Groenewald stem from a well-designed rhino horn trafficking enterprise emanating from incidents as far back as 2008.
“Groenewald, in his capacity as manager of a professional hunting outfitter “Out of Africa” and by employing professional hunters and other individuals, managed the sourcing of rhino horns from his own rhinos and from other private rhino owners to fuel the black market in Southeast Asia,” she said.
Malabi said the State agreed to the plea arrangement after considering all options in the interest of justice.
“A very important consideration was that no rhinos were poached by any of the accused.”
Meanwhile, the case against Karel Toet, his wife Marisa Toet and Koos Pronk was remanded to August 20, 2026, for the outcome of representations to the National Director of Public Prosecutions.
National Director of Public Prosecutions Andy Mothibi and Limpopo Director of Public Prosecutions Ivy Thenga welcomed the outcome, saying the agreement ensured that justice had been served despite the lengthy legal process.
