Two Men Sentenced 15 Years for Rhino Horns

Two men sentenced to 15 years each for rhino horn smuggling valued at R2.9 million bound for Vietnam

(The Post News)- Two men sentenced 15 years in prison by Kempton Park Regional Court for attempting to smuggle 27 rhino horns, worth R2.9 million, out of South Africa through OR Tambo International Airport.

The horns were bound for Vietnam, the men were caught and brought to justice, receiving significant prison time for their crimes.

In 2018, Ntsako Maluleke (37) and Phanuel Chabalala (36) were arrested at OR Tambo airport with two boxes containing nearly 30kg of rhino horns, valued at approximately R2.9 million.

“They were both charged with receiving, possession, transporting and exporting of rhino horns,” said Gauteng Hawks spokesperson, Colonel Katlego Mogale.

After being granted bail of R2,000, Ntsako Maluleke and Phanuel Chabalala failed to appear in court in September 2019 and went into hiding.

However, their fugitive status was short-lived, as they were subsequently tracked down and re-arrested in Vhuwani, Limpopo in 2020.

On May 19, Maluleke and Chabalala were both convicted on all eight counts, and on July 15, they received a total sentence of 20 years.

However, the court suspended five years of the sentence provided they did not commit the same offenses during the suspension period, effectively leaving them with a 15-year prison term.

In a separate but similar case, an employee of the Northwest Parks and Tourism Board was also granted bail in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court, facing charges related to rhino horn smuggling.

Edwin Thapelo Rangaka, a 48-year-old employee of the Northwest Parks and Tourism Board, was released on R5,000 bail and his case was postponed until July 24.

He is accused of business burglary, according to Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, the provincial Hawks spokesperson.

According to Mathebula, Edwin Thapelo Rangaka was apprehended at his workplace as a result of an investigation that connected him to the theft of 51 rhino horns during a break-in at the Northwest Parks and Tourism Board on June 26, 2023.

His accomplices, Elias Mangande and Lefa Mankgaba, were arrested last year in July.