Six granted bail in R250m rhino horn trafficking case
Six people accused of running an international rhino horn trafficking syndicate worth an estimated R250 million have been granted bail by the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court.
The accused include John Hume (83), former Platinum Rhino founder, along with Clive Melville (63), Izak Du Toit (50), Elizabeth van Niekerk (58), Mattheus Poggenpoel (37), and Johannes Hennop (52).
Hume was granted R100,000 bail, while the others received amounts ranging from R10,000 to R20,000.
They face 55 charges, including racketeering, fraud, theft, money laundering, and contraventions of environmental laws.
Investigators allege that between 2017 and 2024, the group fraudulently obtained permits to trade rhino horn locally, while channeling 964 horns into illegal markets in Southeast Asia.
The State did not oppose bail but imposed conditions requiring the accused to surrender passports, report weekly to police, and avoid interfering with investigations.
The case returns to court on 9 December 2025.
