A 40-year-old man appeared in court for the theft of 51 rhino horns from the North West Parks Board last week. Police have made a breakthrough in the hunt for the gang that stole 51 rhino horns from the guarded security vaults of the North West Parks Board. The suspect, Elias Manganda, of Boitekong, Rustenburg, appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 3 July, concerning the brazen heist that had the hallmarks of an inside job. More arrests are imminent, say the Hawks.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula told Daily Maverick that the arrested suspect is Elias Manganda of Boitekong, Rustenburg. He appeared in the Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court this morning [July 3], where he was charged with business robbery. The case was remanded till Friday for further investigation and bail application. According to information from sources close to the investigation, there could have been as many as 15 people involved in the heist at what is supposed to be well-guarded and secure government-run premises.
The horns have not been found yet, but five vehicles believed to have been used in the commission of the crime were confiscated for further investigation. The seized vehicles are listed as a Range Rover, a Land Rover, a BMW, a Nissan X-Trail, and a Honda Civic. A source close to the investigation alleged that Manganda had purchased one of the vehicles with the proceeds from the burglary. Mathebula would not confirm the allegation, saying it “forms part of our investigation.”
Last week, Daily Maverick reported the horns were stolen in a well-planned heist executed with military precision. The thieves broke into the Heritage House headquarters of the North West Parks Board in the early hours of Monday, 26 June, and stole 51 rhino horns worth millions of rands on the black market. Located on the shores of Cookes Lake, Heritage House is a five-minute drive from the center of the bustling North West town of Mahikeng.
An anonymous report circulated after the robbery, claiming thieves broke into the main vault at the agency’s security-patrolled offices between 1.30 am and 2.15 am. They allegedly accessed the resource security offices on the first floor after cutting wires on the distribution board, turning off the alarms, and removing security cameras. Available camera footage shows two persons with their faces covered. The burglars left the premises carrying the horns in large woven polypropylene packaging bags through a back gate, the locks of which had been cut.
According to Pieter Nel, the North West Parks Board’s acting chief conservation officer, the looted horn stockpile, consisting of 14 large horns from mortalities and 37 smaller horns and trimmed pieces from dehorning operations, was about to be transferred to a safer location. Mary Rice, executive director at the International Environmental Investigation Agency UK, asked why to continue to stockpile rhino horn when its sale is internationally banned, and at what cost?
