South Africa and the United States of America have established a joint task team to strengthen the fight against rhino poaching and the illicit finances that stem from trading in endangered species, according to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
Godongwana was hosting his American counterpart Janet Yellen in Pretoria for a bilateral meeting to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.
South Africa is battling to control rhino poaching like it is battling to combat other crimes and according to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, 259 rhinos were poached between January and June 2022, 10 more compared to the same period last year.
At the time, the department raised red flags about “crime syndicates” operating within the country and warned that the high demand for rhinos is a threat to its populations.
In a statement on Wednesday, US Secretary of the Treasury,Janet Yellen, said the task team aims to address critical issues in three key areas, namely to increase information sharing between both country’s financial intelligence units to better support key law enforcement agencies from South Africa and the United States
‘Second, the task team will prioritize the sharing of financial red flags and indicators related to wildlife trafficking cases, especially those involving the U.S. financial system and those overlapping with investigations into high-level corruption, drug trafficking, and transnational criminal organizations.
“Finally, the U.S. Treasury and our counterparts at the National Treasury will work to strengthen controls in our countries and beyond to combat money laundering and terrorist financing through public-private partnership activities in the region,” she added.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment said a trend in rhino poaching shows a move from Kruger Park to private reserves and Kwa-Zulu National where the majority of rhinos were poached last year.
