MKHUHLU – Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalunga, an alleged rhino poaching kingpin, was shot and killed Saturday afternoon, May 16, at his business premises located at the Mkhuhlu crossroad outside Hazyview.
The killing marks a violent conclusion to a period of escalating threats against Nyalunga, who was currently facing a massive legal battle involving organized wildlife crime. His death occurs exactly one week after he survived a separate shooting attempt in the same locality and is likely to send shockwaves through South Africa’s contested anti-poaching and criminal justice landscape.
Sequence of Attacks
Gunmen opened fire on Nyalunga while he was at his place of business on Saturday. He sustained fatal wounds during the assault. Witnesses in the area reported multiple shots being fired before the assailants fled the scene.
This incident follows a pattern of targeted violence that had raised concerns among local residents and law enforcement about the security of key figures in ongoing wildlife crime prosecutions:
- May 9, 2026: Nyalunga was shot in the Mkhuhlu area, sustaining gunshot wounds to his left shoulder and left thigh. He was discharged from hospital under police guard.
- May 16, 2026: Nyalunga was gunned down at his business premises, days before his next scheduled High Court appearance.
No arrests had been confirmed at the time of publication, and police declined to say whether the two attacks are being formally linked as part of the same investigation.
Racketeering and Poaching Charges
At the time of his death, Nyalunga was a primary defendant in a high-stakes trial at the Mbombela High Court. He was facing more than 40 charges stemming from alleged rhino poaching activities and racketeering, including accusations that he directed and financed cross-border poaching operations targeting protected areas in Mpumalanga and neighboring provinces.
The legal proceedings targeted a network of individuals accused of operating between 2016 and 2019. Nyalunga was standing trial alongside three co-accused:
- Claude Lubisi
- Aretha Mhlanga
- Rachel Qwebana
Racketeering charges in South African law typically involve the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA), used to prosecute individuals who manage or lead criminal enterprises. In wildlife crime cases, these charges often relate to the coordination of poaching syndicates, the trafficking of horns, and the laundering of proceeds through ostensibly legitimate businesses.
Environmental law experts say POCA-based prosecutions are seen by authorities as a test of the state’s ability to move beyond arresting low-level poachers and to target alleged recruiters, financiers and transport coordinators who underpin the illicit rhino horn trade. The death of a central accused during trial may complicate asset seizure efforts and could force prosecutors to reassess elements of the case against the remaining defendants.
Police Investigation
Mpumalanga police spokesman Colonel Mavela Masondo confirmed the fatality and indicated that the police are treating the incident as a murder.
“I have been told that a prominent person was shot and killed. I am going to the crime scene,” Masondo said.
Masondo stated that the motive for the killing remains unknown. Police have opened a formal murder case, and investigations are continuing. He said detectives from the provincial organized crime unit had been roped in, given the victim’s profile and the potential implications for an ongoing High Court trial.
The shooting comes against the backdrop of South Africa’s broader struggle to contain rhino poaching and associated corruption, a challenge that has prompted tighter enforcement within national parks and periodic reviews of criminal justice policy. Authorities are expected to face renewed scrutiny over the protection of accused, witnesses and investigators in high-profile environmental crime cases as they work to stabilise the prosecution of Nyalunga’s surviving co-accused.
