Door opens for domestic trade in rhino horn

Buying and selling rhino horn is now legal in South Africa following the department of environmental affairs’ (DEA) failure to convince the Constitutional Court of the need to appeal a high court decision to overturn the moratorium on domestic trade in rhino horn.

The ConCourt finding has huge implications for the future of rhinos and with two entrenched schools of thought, neither really knows what the future holds.

The decision also cracks open the door to international trade and whoever shouts the loudest at government will dictate how far that door is opened.

“At this point, it is clear rhino numbers in SA are decreasing due to poaching,” said Tanya Jacobsen of the RhinoAlive Campaign, a pro-trade lobby group.

“In fact, the last time rhino numbers were increasing healthily was when domestic trade in horn was legal, pre-2009.

“So, hopefully, this ruling will see the numbers growing again as more private reserves invest in rhinos and these reserves and national parks are able to generate desperately needed funds for better antipoaching resources.”

The DEA issued a statement saying it was still studying the judgment.

“While we are studying the implications of the order handed down by the Constitutional Court, it should be noted that the court’s decision should not be construed to mean that the domestic trade in rhino horn may take place in an unregulated fashion,” Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa said in a statement yesterday.

“Since the moratorium came into effect, the DEA has strengthened its laws, regulations and systems to ensure no regulatory loopholes exist with regards to the possession of rhino horn, as well as a possible future domestic trade in rhino horn.”

Molewa cautioned all domestic trade in rhino horn was subject to permits being obtained.

However, in its ConCourt application for leave to appeal, the DEA noted this could take up to a year and requested 18 months to put its house in order.

Outraged SA Citizens against Rhino Poaching spokesperson Kim da Ribeira said it was still unclear what they way forward would be, with comment on draft regulations only recently closed.

“There is no permit system in place. The DEA said in 2009, when it installed the moratorium, it wanted to put its house in order and get the database up and running and audited,” Da Ribeira said.

With no reliable numbers available, Da Ribeira said she had no idea how the system would work.