The state has been granted additional time to prepare its case against eleven rhino horn syndicate suspects.

As expected, the high-profile South African rhino horn syndicate case involving game farmer Dawie Groenewald, and veterinarians Karel Toet and Manie du Plessis, has reportedly been postponed until September.

The eleven suspects will face a litany of charges, including assault, fraud, corruption, malicious damage to property, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, and contravention of the National Environmental Biodiversity Act.

South Africa’s Eyewitness News reported that the prosecution was granted additional time to continue the investigations. The Hawks’ McIntosh Polela was quoted as saying that the case is “very complicated”.

This is a very complicated case. We need to … have a watertight case against Mr. Groenewald and his co-accused and that’s why we’ve asked for such a long time … We want to compile a complete indictment.

Suspected “ringleader” Groenewald, along with Toet, du Plessis, and eight others were arrested in September 2010 for alleged involvement with hundreds of rhino poaching incidents and dealing in rhino horn. They were granted bail just days later by the Musina court’s magistrate Errol Luiters.

Adding insult to injury, the September 2010 release date coincided with World Rhino Day, an event to raise awareness about South Africa’s rhino killing epidemic.

The country has already lost at least 83 rhinos to the illegal rhino horn trade, although some sources cite a higher figure of 103.

To read more about the shocking events that exposed the ‘Groenewald gang’ to the world, check out Court Date Approaches for South African ‘Groenewald Gang’ Rhino Horn Syndicate Suspects.

To see a list of the suspects and read more about Groenewald’s previous brushes with the law, check out South African ‘Groenewald Gang’ Returns to Court in April for Killing Rhinos, Dealing in Rhino Horn.

At the root of the rhino crisis is the continued use of rhino horn in Traditional Chinese Medicine. To learn more about the scientific testing that has proven rhino horn has no medicinal value, check out Busting the Rhino Horn Myth with Science.

Image: istockphoto.com

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Rhishja Cota-Larson

I am the founder of Saving Rhinos LLC, which publishes news and information about the global rhino crisis. Besides writing Rhino Horn is Not Medicine, I am the author of the book Murder, Myths & Medicine, the Editor of Project Pangolin, and a writer for the environmental news blog Planetsave. When I'm not blogging about the illegal wildlife trade, I like to rock out to live music.

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