Five suspected rhino poachers killed in KZN shootout
Five suspected rhino poachers were killed during a shootout with police near Hluhluwe in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Police say officers acted on intelligence about suspects travelling along the R618 towards a game reserve before setting up a stop-and-search operation.
Five suspected rhino poachers have been killed in a shootout with police in Hluhluwe, in northern KZN.
The suspects were travelling along the R618 on Saturday night when police intercepted.
KZN SAPS' Robert Netshiunda says no officers were injured.
“Police gathered intelligence that the suspects were travelling along the R618 Road towards a game reserve. A stop and search operation was set up along the same road and when the suspects arrived at the roadblock, a shootout ensued between police and the suspects”.
He says police recovered a hunting rifle and two pistols.
The latest shootout comes as government intensifies efforts to protect the country’s rhino population through a revised Black and White Rhino Biodiversity Management Plan.
Conservation strategy
Forestry, fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp says the updated conservation strategy marks a turning point in South Africa’s fight against rhino poaching.
Aucamp says the plan provides a holistic framework and detailed action strategy aimed at strengthening rhino conservation efforts, while improving collaboration with other countries in the region.
He says the revised plan places rhino conservation on a renewed and more coordinated path, with a stronger focus on long-term protection and community involvement.
Decline in rhino poaching
Aucamp says 352 rhinos were poached nationally between January and December last year, down from 420 in 2024.
He says Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in KwaZulu-Natal recorded a significant drop in poaching cases, from 198 to 63, following large-scale dehorning interventions aimed at protecting the animals.
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