Zoutpansberger
News

Rhino horn trafficking mastermind escapes jail with hefty fines

Rhino kingpin dodges jail with R10 million fines and suspended sentences

By Staff Reporter • 17 June 2026
Rhino horn trafficking mastermind escapes jail with hefty fines

A key figure in South Africa's rhino horn trafficking has received a suspended sentence and substantial fines after a decade-long legal battle.

The man described by prosecutors as the mastermind behind one of South Africa's largest rhino horn trafficking enterprises has avoided immediate imprisonment after entering into a plea agreement that finally brought a legal battle spanning more than a decade to an end.

Earlier today (17 June), the Polokwane High Court sentenced Dawie Groenewald to a fine of R2 million or four years' imprisonment on the main charge of managing an enterprise in contravention of the Prevention of Organised...

Read more on our website