A 37-year-old man, John Mosikare, appeared in court after he was arrested by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, for possession of endangered species.
Hawks spokesperson in North West, Warrant Officer Amogelang Malwetse said Mosikare appeared before the Tshidilamolomo Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday facing charges of possession of endangered species in terms of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act.
“On Friday, November 15, members of Mahikeng-based serious organised crime investigation unit received information about a person who was hunting illegally,” said Malwetse.
“The information was operationalised and in collaboration with members of Mahikeng tactical response team, the suspect's house located at Moshawane village near Tshidilamolomo was searched.”
During the extensive search, four animal paws and a leopard carcass were found.
Malwetse said the suspect did not have a permit to possess any animal species.
He was subsequently apprehended.
Mosirake appeared before court and was released on R300 bail. The matter was postponed to February 21, 2025, for further investigation.
Meanwhile, North West acting head of the Hawks, Brigadier Silas Munzhedzi and the Director of Public Prosecutions in North West, Dr Rachel Makhari have lauded the investigation and prosecution team.
In a joint statement, Munzhedziand Makhari have cautioned community members against engaging in illegal hunting of wildlife “as it poses a threat to endangered species”.
Earlier this month, IOL reported that a 59-year-old man, Neo Tongwane, lost his Mercedes-Benz to the State after he was arrested by law enforcement agents in Northern Cape for possession and attempting to sell a pangolin.
At the time, the Hawks and the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority had applied for the final forfeiture order and they succeeded when the forfeiture order was granted by the High Court in Kimberley.
“This comes after the accused was arrested in July 2023 during an intelligence-driven operation by members of Kuruman serious organised crime investigation and Tactical Response Team (TRT),” said Hawks spokesperson in Northern Cape, Warrant Officer Nomthandazo Mnisi.
“A buy and bust operation was conducted in Kuruman whereby four suspects were arrested for illegal dealing in an endangered species, the pangolin,” Mnisi said.
“The matter was referred to the National Prosecuting Authority’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) for a detailed asset forfeiture investigation. A final forfeiture order was granted for a Mercedes-Benz, with an estimated value of R150,000.”
IOL