Police officers and botanist accused in poaching fraud case

Former SAPS official Captain Karel Coetzee Du Toit is one of the accused. Du Toit served as the Commander of the Stock Theft Unit in Springbok. Photos: Ashraf Hendricks

A senior botanical horticulturist with the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) and two police officers appeared in the Springbok Magistrates’ Court on Thursday. They face charges of fraud and corruption related to poached plants, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA).

The two police officers, Captain Karel du Toit and Warrant Officer Leonard Landrew, face multiple charges, including fraud, theft, defeating the administration of justice, contravention of the Tourism Act, and corruption, Northern Cape NPA spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane explained in a statement.

Du Toit was head of the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit at SAPS. He has led many operations leading to arrests of poachers of endangered succulent plants in the Northern Cape.

GroundUp previously reported on one 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 it is vulnerable or endangered.

Outside of court on Thursday, Du Toit told GroundUp that the case was a “wild goose-chase”. He said that he has a “passion for conservation”.

The horticulturalist, Adam Harrower, is facing charges of corruption, fraud and cyber fraud, according to the NPA.

The NPA’s Senokoatsane said, “The allegations against Harrower relate to his role as an employee of SANBI, where he was frequently called upon to identify various indigenous and exotic plants. It is alleged that he submitted fraudulent invoices for work done to the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit, using a business registered in his wife’s name, Cape May Landscapes Close Corporation, despite being a state employee.”

The allegation before the court is that Du Toit approved payments to Harrower’s wife’s company without proper authority, among other things. “Both Du Toit and Landrew were implicated in failing to document seized plants and exhibits appropriately during investigations,” he said.

Du Toit was granted R50,000 bail while Landrew and Harrower were granted R20,000 bail each. They are due back in court in December.

Adam Harrower, a Senior Botanical Horticulturist at the South African National Botanical Institute (SANBI) and SAPS Warrant Officer Leonard William Landrew leaving the dock at the Springbok Magistrates’ Court.

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