Two Suspects Arrested After Mother Rhino and Calf Killed in Komani Poaching Incident
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Two men, aged 35 and 36, have been arrested following a rhino poaching incident at a game reserve in Komani, Eastern Cape, where two rhinos, including a mother and her calf, were shot dead and their horns removed.
The arrests followed a joint operation involving the South African Police Service (SAPS), private security companies and other stakeholders after police received intelligence about the incident on Saturday, 31 October 2026.
Four rhino horns, a high-calibre hunting rifle fitted with a silencer and ammunition were recovered during the subsequent operation.
According to police, Crime Intelligence received information at approximately 06:55 on Saturday morning that two rhinos had been shot and killed at a local game reserve in Komani. Their horns had also been removed.
A police team immediately responded to the reserve, where investigators gathered information that helped them identify a vehicle believed to have been connected to the poaching incident.
At approximately 16:00, members of Red Guard Security spotted the vehicle at a filling station along Cathcart Road in Komani. The information was immediately shared with police, leading to an operation in which two foreign national men were arrested.
A third suspect reportedly managed to flee and evade arrest.
Following the arrests, police conducted further follow-up operations which resulted in the recovery of four rhino horns believed to be linked to the incident.
Officers also recovered a .375 calibre Holland & Holland Magnum rifle fitted with a silencer, together with live ammunition.
A Volkswagen Polo bearing Cape Town registration plates was confiscated. Police believe the vehicle was used in the commission of an offence.
Three cellphones were also seized, along with an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
The incident took place at the Lawrence de Lange Game Reserve, which is managed by the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality.
In a statement issued on 31 October, the municipality confirmed that two rhinos had been discovered dead with visible gunshot wounds and their horns removed.
The reserve manager, Kevin Lieberum, indicated that the facility had ten rhinos. At the time of the municipality’s initial announcement, seven had been accounted for, two had been killed and one remained missing.
Search teams were deployed to comb through the reserve in an attempt to locate the missing animal.
The municipality also confirmed that SAPS, State Veterinary Services and environmental authorities were attending to the incident.
The municipality subsequently indicated that it would review and strengthen security measures at its conservation facilities.
The two arrested men, aged 35 and 36, are expected to appear before the Komani Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 2 November 2026.
They are facing charges relating to the illegal hunting of protected species, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, and possession of suspected stolen property, referring to the recovered rhino horns.
A third suspect remains at large after managing to escape during the operation.
The investigation is ongoing, with police continuing efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the killings and identify anyone else who may have been involved.
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