KIMBERLEY, South Africa – The Northern Cape High Court has ruled that conservation breeding facilities can be granted permits to export rhino horns, in a landmark decision hailed by private conservationists but swiftly disowned by the South African government.
The ruling, delivered by Judge Lawrence Gerald Lever, overturned the refusal by the provincial MEC for Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform to grant permits to rhino conservationist Hendrick Diedericks to export white rhino horns.
Lever found that the MEC had misapplied the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), saying it “does not as a blanket provision prohibit international trade of endangered species.”
The judge ordered the MEC to reconsider Diedericks’ application within seven days and to provide written reasons if the permits were again refused. Both the MEC and the minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment were ordered to jointly pay the costs of the review.
Diedericks, who breeds rhinos in captivity, argued that exporting horns harvested sustainably from live animals would help offset the roughly R20 million annual cost of feeding and protecting his herd. He said proceeds from sales would be reinvested into conservation.
“The court has opened the door for legal and regulated international trade in rhino horn — a decision that could save the species, fund conservation, and uplift rural communities,” Diedericks said in a statement issued through his Rockwood conservation operation.
He emphasised that rhino horns are made of keratin — the same protein found in hair and nails — and can be trimmed from live animals without harm, growing back naturally.
Conservationists like the late Dr Ian Player and Dr George Hughes have long argued that allowing ethical trade in rhino horn could reduce poaching by turning horns into a renewable resource.
However, the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) distanced itself from the ruling, stressing that the country remains fully committed to the international ban on the commercial trade of rhino horn and ivory.
“Our policy is guided by science, ethics, and global cooperation, not by commercial interest,” the DFFE said in a statement.
Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dr Dion George added:
“South Africa will not support any move to reopen the ivory or rhino horn trade. Our duty is to protect our wildlife, not to profit from their destruction.”
The ruling comes weeks before the 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) to CITES, set for Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from 24 November to 5 December.
While the court’s decision is being viewed as a potential turning point for conservation-breeding programmes, it also reignites debate over whether legal trade in horn can truly curb poaching or risks fuelling demand.
According to government data, 195 rhinos were poached across South Africa in the first half of 2025 — 35 fewer than in the same period last year — as intensified anti-poaching measures begin to show results.
The post South African court allows rhino horn exports — government distances itself appeared first on Zimbabwe News Now.