A South African court has sentenced two men in what authorities describe as the world’s largest rhino horn trafficking case. Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus faced over 1,700 charges, including illegally hunting and dehorning rhinos, racketeering, and money laundering. As the alleged mastermind, Groenewald received a 2 million rand fine or four years’ imprisonment as part of a plea deal with the state.
Erasmus was fined 100,000 rand or three years in prison. The case is a significant development in South Africa’s efforts to combat rhino horn poaching, which has plagued the country. According to the International Rhino Foundation, South Africa is home to about a third of the world’s critically endangered black rhino population and more than 75% of all southern white rhinos.
Rhino horn is highly valued on the black market, with a 2022 research paper suggesting it can fetch tens of thousands of dollars per tonne. Despite having no health benefits for humans, it is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The case against Groenewald and Erasmus began in 2007, but was delayed by legal challenges, including a constitutional court appeal.
Two of the original 11 accused died, and 10 of the state’s 185 witnesses passed away or emigrated during the 15-year wait. However, the case is not yet concluded, as the trial against three other accused, Karel Toet, Marisa Toet, and Koos Pronk, has been postponed to 20 August. In a separate but related development, a South African rhino farmer, John Hume, was charged last year with being part of a horn trafficking syndicate.
Hume, who bred white rhinos on his farm, had campaigned for horn trading to be legalised and regulated in South Africa. He had about 2,000 rhinos on his farm when he sold it in 2023, claiming he could no longer afford to run it. The sentencing of Groenewald and Erasmus comes as South Africa continues to grapple with the issue of rhino horn poaching, which accounted for 81% of poaching cases in Africa in 2024.
