Pretoria - The recent spate of illegal rhino killings across the country has prompted the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to convene a special summit this week in a bid to fight the poaching of rhinoceros.
The department said the summit, to be convened by Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, is intended to inform all role players of and review current interventions with a view to improve efforts in the fight against the illegal killing of rhinos and also to strengthen stakeholder collaboration.
The two-day summit, which starts in Pretoria on Tuesday forms part of the implementation of the National Strategy for the Safety and Security of Rhinoceros Populations in South Africa.
More than 200 rhinos have been killed for their horns since the beginning of this year, up from a total of 122 poached last year.
In a recent incident that had shocked environmentalists, 11 people, including two veterinarians, appeared in the Musina Magistrates Court last week to face charges related to rhino poaching. The group is believed to be part of a ring behind a series of illegal rhino poaching across the province in recent months.
