Woman caught with two rhino horns to face justice

A 55-year-old woman who was caught with two rhino horns inside her vehicle in Bedfordview‚ Johannesburg‚ is expected to face the law on Thursday.

She is being charged with the illegal possession of rhino horns and will appear in the Germiston Regional Court.

“The suspect was arrested by the Hawks’ serious organised crime endangered species unit‚ with the support of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan police and SANParks‚” police spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said.

“The joint‚ intelligence-driven operation landed the suspect in detention after she was found with two rhino horns in her vehicle‚ around Bedfordview. Follow-up investigations are ongoing.”

In a separate incident‚ two men – Clive Melville, 57, originally from Port Elizabeth, and Petrus Steyn, 61, from Johannesburg – who were caught at the weekend, allegedly with 167 rhino horns appeared in court on Monday and were denied bail.

The haul was one of the biggest recorded and was believed to be destined for Asia.

The suspects are due back in court on April 26.