Ezemvelo says war on rhinos continues, supports regulated trade to curb poaching

Despite a sharp drop in rhino poaching in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife warns that the fight to protect the species remains a challenge.

In 2024, the KwaZulu-Natal game reserve recorded 198 poached rhinos. By December 2025, the number had fallen to 63, marking a significant improvement.

“We know there are a number of organisations who are against the international trade in rhino horns. However, we think it could be one of the measures that can mitigate against rhino poaching,” said Sihle Mkhize, the chief executive of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife. “It’s a discussion we must have.”

He said the legal trade in rhino horn could also generate revenue for game reserves while curbing activity on the black market. 

Mkhize’s comments come after Namibia’s unsuccessful bid last year to lift the international ban on black and white rhino horn trade at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Uzbekistan. 

Namibia argued that it held substantial stockpiles — estimated at 6.45 tonnes of white rhino horn — that it wished to sell legally. Its bid also included a proposal to overturn the international ban on trade in African savanna elephant ivory, which was similarly rejected.

Mkhize attributes the park’s improved poaching figures, in part, to a mass dehorning exercise in April 2024, which targeted about 1 000 rhinos.

“We had to be brave and ask hard questions about whether we trusted each other,” he said. “We then embarked on a polygraph testing of all our employees, especially those at the forefront, fighting against rhino poaching. The majority of them passed. Others failed and we had to move them to other departments.” 

The dehorning initiative followed years of high poaching, when more than 300 rhinos were lost in the 96 000ha park. The park has also bolstered detection and early-warning capabilities, including the deployment and integration of advanced camera technologies and sensors.

At the national level, rhino poaching declined by 16% in 2025 compared with 2024. Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp announced in February that 352 rhinos were poached nationwide — 266 on state land and 86 on private property — down from 420 the previous year.

However, not all provinces saw improvements. Mpumalanga recorded 178 rhino deaths in 2025, an increase of 92 compared with 2024, and Kruger National Park 175.