Some conservation groups feel syndicates thrive because of weak sentencing and slow prosecutions. This comes after one of South Africas alleged rhino kingpins, Joseph Big Joe Nyalunga , was fatally shot in Mkhuhlu near Hazyview in Mpumalanga.
The 62-year-old Nyalunga was allegedly ambushed by two armed men at his business premises.
He is believed to have been a key figure in a major rhino poaching syndicate operating in Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
