A man, previously arrested in Hartbeespoort for possession of 167 rhino horns, is among six people who appeared in court this week for their alleged involvement in an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate.
John Frederick Hume (83), Clive John Mervan Melville (63), Izak Hermanus Du Toit (50), Elizabeth Catharina Van Niekerk (58), Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel (37) and Johannes Abraham Hennop.
Clive John Mervan Melville (63) stands accused with former North West mega rhino farmer John Hulme (83), founder and owner of the Platinum Rhino Conservation Enterprise, Izak Hermanus Du Toit (50), an attorney. Elizabeth Catharina Van Niekerk (58), the director of a non-profit organisation. Mattheus Hendrikus Wessels Poggenpoel (37), an insurance broker and part-time farmer and Johannes Abraham Hennop (52), a game reserve manager. They were all granted bail by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court.
Hume was granted R100 000 bail, Melville and Van Niekerk were each granted R10 000 bail, while Hermanus Du Toit, Poggenpoel and Hennop were each granted R20 00 bail.
“They are collectively facing a total of 55 charges of multiple counts of racketeering, fraud, contravention of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NAMBA), contravention of the Riotous Assemblies Act, theft and money laundering,” said NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana,.
It is alleged that between 2017 and 2024, the accused operated an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate and defrauded the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE). They allegedly obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while intending to channel the horns into illegal international markets in Southeast Asia. The fraudulent scheme is estimated to involve 964 rhino horns valued at R250 million.
After intensive investigations by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation’s (DPCI) Wildlife Trafficking Section of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, based at national headquarters, the six handed themselves over at the Pretoria Central Police Station on 19 August 2025, where they were formally arrested.
During bail proceedings, they all asked to be released on bail because they are not flight risks and they cooperated with the police investigations. Through their affidavits, Melville disclosed to the court that he had a 2019 conviction for fraud and being in possession and transporting rhino horns. He was sentenced to pay a fine. Poggenpoel also disclosed to the court that he has a 2009 previous conviction for possession of rhino horn, where he paid an admission of guilt fee of R2500. Poggenpoel also disclosed that he has a pending case that will be appearing on 17 September 2025 at Winburg Magistrates’ Court because, during the visit to his residence, the investigation team found ammunition that was not locked away in a safe and supposedly scheduled medicine without a permit.
The matter was postponed to 09 December 2025 for further investigation.
