Plant poaching fraud case to be heard in March

Two police officers and a botanical horticulturist face charges.

5 Dec 2024

Adam Harrower from the South African National Botanical Institute and Karel du Toit who was head of the SAPS Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit appear in the dock at the regional court in Springbok on Tuesday. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks/GroundUp

The case related to plant poaching, fraud and corruption involving two police officers and a botanical horticulturist was heard, for the first time, in the regional court in Springbok in the Northern Cape on Tuesday.

The police officers, Captain Karel du Toit and Warrant Officer Leonard Landrew, who were stationed at the Springbok police station, face a string of charges, including fraud, theft, defeating the administration of justice, contravention of the Tourism Act, and corruption, according to the National Prosecuting Agency (NPA).

Du Toit was the head of the SAPS Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and had led many arrests of people poaching endangered succulents in the Northern Cape.

The botanical horticulturist, Adam Harrower from the South African National Botanical Institute (Sanbi), is facing charges of corruption, fraud and cyber fraud, said the NPA.

In a previous statement, the NPA said that, “the state’s case builds upon various unethical practices, including previous misrepresentations made by Du Toit in relation to financial disclosures regarding income derived from external sources. Furthermore, both Du Toit and Landrew were implicated in failing to document seized plants and exhibits appropriately during investigations”.

The NPA alleges that Harrower submitted fraudulent invoices for work done for the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit.

GroundUp previously reported on an operation in March 2022 where police confiscated about 5,500 succulents during a late-night roadblock. At the time, Sanbi estimated that over 1.5-million succulents had been removed from the wild and many of these plants have been red-listed, meaning they are vulnerable or endangered.

On Tuesday, the court ordered the state to share its finalised docket with the accused’s lawyers by 20 January. Du Toit’s R50,000 bail was extended. Landrew and Harrower were each granted R20,000 bail.

The matter was postponed to March 2025.

This article was originally published on GroundUp.