Four arrested in Free State after attempt to sell endangered pangolin for R80,000

Four people are expected to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on June 5, 2026, after they were arrested for attempting to sell an endangered pangolin for R80,000, the Hawks said.

Arrest after intelligence-led operation

The provincial spokesperson for the Hawks, Lieutenant Colonel Zweli Mohobeleli, said members of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation team and Welkom’s Anti-Gang Unit acted on intelligence about suspects selling pangolins. “On June 4, 2026, the information was operationalised. Four suspects driving in a blue Toyota Quest were caught red-handed trying to sell one pangolin for R80,000. They were immediately placed under arrest, and the pangolin was handed over to authorities for safekeeping,” Mohobeleli said.

Charges and suspects

The four suspects, whose ages range between 47 and 62, face charges of contravening the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 and the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962.

Conservation concerns

The article notes that pangolins are solitary, nocturnal mammals recognised by tough, overlapping keratin scales. It also states that pangolins are considered the world’s most heavily trafficked wild mammals, and that they are poached for meat and scales sought on the black market for use in traditional medicine, pushing the species toward extinction.

Hawks praise officers

Head of the Hawks in the Free State, Major General Mokgadi Bokaba, commended officers for the swift arrests and for ensuring that the endangered species do not face total extinction.

What happens next

The suspects are due to appear in the Welkom Magistrate’s Court on June 5, 2026. The pangolin was taken into authorities’ custody for safekeeping after the arrest.