Two people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in rhino poaching at Lawrence De Lange Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape.
Two people have been arrested for their alleged involvement in rhino poaching at a game reserve in Komani, Eastern Cape.
Police spokesperson Captain Yolisa Mgoledela told IOL that the suspects were expected to appear at the Komani Magistrate’s Court on Monday, but did not appear due to administrative issues. They are expected to make their first appearance later this week.
The Mozambican nationals face charges for possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, illegal hunting of protected species and possession of suspected stolen property in the form of rhino horns.
SAPS works with a security firm to catch suspects
The police arrested the two suspects, aged 35 and 36, on Saturday in collaboration with a private security company and external stakeholders.
Police say they received information about the poaching incident from Crime Intelligence at about 6.55am when Lawrence de Lange Game Reserve employees found a mother rhino and a calf shot dead, with their horns removed.
A team was dispatched to the scene, and police identified a vehicle believed to be linked to the incident. At around 4pm that day, Red Guard Security officers spotted the vehicle at a petrol station on Cathcart Road and alerted the police.
Police later arrested the two men, while a third suspect fled and evaded arrest. Police found four rhino horns, a .375 rifle with a silencer and live rounds of ammunition.
A VW Polo with a Cape Town registration number, which was used in the poaching incident, was also confiscated, as well as three cellphones.
Rhino missing found injured after poaching incident in Komani
Game Reserve Manager Kevin Lieberum said the game reserve had ten rhinos, and after the poaching incident, one rhino was unaccounted for.
Mgoledela said the animal was later found with a gunshot wound after an extensive search.
Lieberum added that the last poaching incident at the game reserve was in 2018, after which the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality had helped heighten security measures at the facility.
The municipality condemned the rhino poaching incident and the senseless act of wildlife crime.
“This cowardly act not only robs our community of its natural heritage, but directly undermines our concerted efforts to develop, protect and promote our tourism facilities as drivers of local economic development and job creation,” it said.
The municipality also said it would not allow criminals to reverse the gains made in wildlife conservation over the years, highlighting that rhinos are an endangered species that play an important part in biodiversity and tourism.
Rhino poaching incidents remain high in South Africa
While rhino poaching incidents are devastating, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment (DFFE) noted on World Rhino Day this year that the rhino population had increased by 4.9% since 2024.
The DFFE said although the rhino population has increased, the number of rhinos poached in South Africa remains significantly high.
From January to the end of August 2026, 230 rhinos were poached nationally, compared to 248 poaching incidents during the same period in 2025. Kruger National Park was hit hardest, losing 114 rhinos from January to August.
To tackle poaching and ensure the rhino population continues to thrive, the department has implemented a 10-year Biodiversity Management Plan. The plan aims to grow the black and white rhino populations through enhanced biological management interventions and support towards expansion projects.
The department also plans to establish the National Rhino Conservation Co-ordination Committee, which will serve as the lead implementing agency for the Biodiversity Management Plan.
The DFFE emphasised that the fight against rhino poaching requires collaboration from national and provincial conservation authorities, law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, government and financial institutions, local communities, the private sector and the international community.