Five men bust with protected plants worth R2.7 million

THE NIEUWOUDTVILLE police, assisted by members of a nearby nature reserve, apprehended five male suspects allegedly poaching protected plants worth about R2.7 million.

According to Northern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Sergio Kock, the police followed up on information regarding alleged plant poaching near Nieuwoudtville and caught the suspects in the act of harvesting 424 Clavias marebelius plants, which are endangered, on June 27.

The suspects, aged between 21 and 30, are now facing charges of illegal possession of an endangered plant species and will appear in court soon. The police investigation is ongoing.

The provincial commissioner for the SAPS in the Northern Cape, Lieutenant-General Koliswa Otola, praised the Nieuwoudtville SAPS and the nature reserve members for their “outstanding success” in apprehending the suspected plant poachers.

Otola reiterated that the police would intensify their efforts to protect the Province’s fauna and flora.