SOUTH AFRICA: 12 Rhino Poachers Arrested

Twelve people believed to be the kingpins of a rhino poaching syndicate operating in Gauteng and North West have been arrested. This after a joint operation by law enforcement agencies.

The 12 were arrested on Tuesday and Wednesday during Operation Ringleader which was conducted in conjunction with Crime Intelligence, the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, the SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory as well as the National Prosecuting Authority in the two provinces.

Hawks spokesperson, Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi said law enforcement officers had been on the trail of the group for two years.

"The high flying group has been the subject of an investigation since 2013 and is alleged to have contributed to the illegal poaching of rhinos and illicit dealing of rhino horns in Klerksdorp, Rustenburg, Pretoria and Johannesburg," he said in a statement.

During the operation, 13 illegal firearms (eight rifles and five pistols), three small scales, one electrical hacksaw, four rhino horns, chopped rhino horns, R1.1m in cash and eight luxury vehicles were found and confiscated.

The value of the seized items, including the money, was estimated at R6m.

The National Head of the Hawks Lieutenant General Mthandazo Ntlemeza praised the team for securing the arrests. He said no stone would be left unturned as they continued to clamp down on rhino poaching.

"I want to warn poachers that the Hawks will leave no stone unturned in the fight against rhino poaching and we will ensure that poachers are brought to book and convicted. The broom is still sweeping. This operation is continuing until all syndicates are wiped out," he said.

The suspects would face charges of money laundering and racketeering, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition as well as corruption.

SOUTH AFRICA: Uber Targets Smaller South African Cities

Internet ride-sharing service Uber is exploring expansion out of Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban into smaller South African cities.

This is according to Uber head of sub-Saharan Africa Alon Lits.

Uber launched in South Africa in 2013, but to date the service is not available in cities such as Bloemfontein or Port Elizabeth.

“So, we do remain focused on our core market,” Lits said.

“That being said, as a company we say internally that we want to be in every city globally with a population of more than 200,000 people.

“So, if you think about that and the composition that South Africa has, there’s definitely opportunity beyond our core market and we are exploring that,” Lits added.

According to census data from 2011, the Eastern Cape’s Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City metropolitan areas each respectively have populations of 1 152 115 and 755 200.

Meanwhile, Mangaung in the Free State has a population of 747,431.

African expansion

Growth for Uber has been strong in South Africa as the company notched up 2 million rides locally in the first half of this year.

But Uber’s Lits is also looking north.

The company already operates in Kenya’s Nairobi and Nigeria’s Lagos.

Lagos, for example, has an estimated population of 20 million – five times larger than that of Johannesburg.

Bloomberg also reported this week that Uber is looking to sign a deal with car-maker Kia in Nigeria to help make vehicles more affordable for partner-drivers in that country.

“There’s a huge market opportunity there,” Lits said.

However, at this stage Lits said there are no plans to expand into other African countries although the company is eyeing opportunities.

“I think that there are a number of really larger opportunities across the continent,” Lits said.