Ninth man arrested as cops taken to farms where lions were slaughtered

A ninth suspect handed himself over to police and joined eight others in court on Tuesday for allegedly being in possession of lion bones, lion meat and tiger’s skin.

Louis Fouche, 22, Lourens Pretorius, 24, Mguyel Huu Son, 30, Tuan, 33, Dao Chanh, 38, Pham Khur, 56, Chanh, 56, and Quol Thang, 60, and Michael Frederich Fourie, 42, appeared in the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court. They will remain in custody until their bail applications.

Hawks spokesperson captain Tlangelani Rikhotso said that Fourie, who is renting a farm where the slaughter allegedly took place, handed himself over to the police on Tuesday.

"He joined the eight suspects at the Klerksdorp Magistrate’s Court to face charges of illegal possession of game products without a permit, carrying out restricted activities involving a specimen of a listed, threatened or protected species."

Rikhotso said that two vehicles were intercepted at the intersection of the N12 and Dominionville on Sunday. They were driving in a convoy heading towards an unused farm in Mareetsane.

The case was postponed to December 5.

They searched the vehicles and found gas cylinders, gas burners, a saw, knives and equipment suspected of being used to process lion bones.

"The suspects took the Hawks team to another farm, approximately 30km from Klerksdorp, where the lions were allegedly slaughtered. At the farm, a lion skin was found dumped in the bush and large machines, which are believed to have been the instruments for cutting the bones, were found in the garage."