As Namibia looks set to enter the uncertain waters of the international oil industry, John Grobler analyses the legal and technical challenges emerging as the biggest obstacles...
10 February, 2026
The approval of a new thermal coal power project derails the kingdom’s green transition efforts, and marginalises local residents, reports Phathizwe Zulu...
29 January, 2026
As jobs disappear from the coal belt, Middelburg’s economy is buckling. Unpaid rates, collapsing businesses and stalled transition support are deepening the crisis...
20 January, 2026
A leaked recording, court orders and company records place the controversial South African at the centre of a high-stakes struggle over a lucrative Okavango hunting concession...
09 January, 2026
The international certification system promised to help dismantle inequalities on wine farms, but many workers say reality falls far short of promises made...
12 December, 2025
Climate change, over-fishing and oil-related pollution are collapsing the marine environment off the West Coast. Now there’s the added threat of off-shore oil and gas exploration...
14 November, 2025
A landmark High Court case challenges the government and independent power producers to apply localisation laws designed to drive South Africa’s green industrial development...
07 November, 2025
Thailand is producing energy it doesn’t need at great cost to its citizens. One energy mogul benefits from the country’s long-term supply contracts. Khadija Sharife investigates...
24 October, 2025
Long-term leases turn public land into corporate profit, but how are these deals structured, and are communities seeing their share? #PowerTracker investigates...
17 October, 2025
Judge slams authorities for not stopping illegal sand mining, but Limpopo businesswoman insists she has the right to mine. Chris Gilili investigates...
19 September, 2025
Local organisations are pioneering off-grid solutions for rural households left waiting in the dark by Eskom. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
05 September, 2025
Andiswa Matikinca tracks concerns around critical minerals mining applications – and now a small harbour – in KwaZulu-Natal’s tourism mecca...
15 August, 2025
#PowerTracker visits a solar project owned by a township cooperative that serves as a model for energy democracy in action...
31 July, 2025
A landmark ConCourt ruling has made the Nama people the gate-keepers of ambitious plans to turn the Northern Cape into an energy and mining hub. John Grobler investigates...
18 July, 2025
Insiders describe why, and how, rangers sworn to protect wildlife collude with poaching syndicates slaughtering rhinos. Tulani Ngwenya investigates...
09 June, 2025
Solar power moves virtually from farmland in North West province to factories hundreds of kilometres away. How does it work, and what does it mean for the energy transition?...
22 May, 2025
Police are keeping mum about the extradition of Li Song, wanted in connection with the use of poison in illegal wildlife trade. Pamenus Tuso investigates...
08 May, 2025
Namibia is pinning its economic hopes on development of the Orange Oil Basin. What does this mean for a small economy not ready for a major oil rush? John Grobler investigates...
30 April, 2025
Wind farms feed power into the national grid, but the stories behind the land deals are rarely told. Tunicia Phillips investigates a case study in the Eastern Cape...
15 April, 2025
International data shows a recent boom in lithium exports from Southern Africa to Chinese markets. Where’s it coming from, and how does it get there? #PowerTracker investigates...
07 April, 2025
An Oxpeckers reporter speaks to syndicate insiders about the role of corrupt law enforcement officials enabling cross-border illegal trade in rhino horns...
24 March, 2025
Community trusts linked to renewable energy projects are designed to ensure profits benefit the locals. #PowerTracker visits a Free State project to witness their real-world impact...
17 March, 2025
A rare earths venture at the gateway to the Kruger National Park plans to rehabilitate environmental damage caused by at least six decades of mining. Marcia Moyana investigates...
12 February, 2025
Daniel Stiles investigates organised transnational networks smuggling great apes from Africa via Nigeria...
07 February, 2025
A Portuguese eucalyptus forestry project is rapidly spreading harmful exotic species in Mozambique’s rural areas in order to supply Europe's packaging needs...
16 January, 2025
The province is home to SA's biggest gas and helium project. Will it speed up the shift towards renewable energy sources, or hinder progress? Refilwe Mochoari investigates...
10 December, 2024
With vast deposits of minerals that make South Africa a key player in the green energy transition, Andiswa Matikinca investigates the future that stakeholders want to see...
02 December, 2024
Mine rehabilitation presents an opportunity for environmental restoration and economic empowerment in the energy transition. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
07 November, 2024
Incidents of wildlife snaring have rocketed in South Africa’s flagship national park in the past four years. What’s driving the surge, and how are conservationists facing up to it?...
29 October, 2024
Oxpeckers tracked 14 GH2 projects in Namibia, finding implementation has been slow and the only real growth has been in bureaucracy. John Grobler investigates...
11 October, 2024
Journalist Neusa e Silva travelled to Soyo to discover the potential human and environmental costs of gas flaring on the ground...
30 September, 2024
Zimbabwean communities living around lithium mines have to put up with noise pollution, gas emissions, dust, flying-rock hazards and ground vibrations. Oscar Nkala investigates...
20 September, 2024
Municipalities in SA’s energy heartland face significant financial problems to implement the JET. Thabo Molelekwa spoke to stakeholders trying to overcome the hurdles...
12 September, 2024
John Grobler takes stock of progress on Namibia’s ambitious green hydrogen programme...
10 September, 2024
Oscar Nkala travels to Hwange in north-western Zimbabwe to expose the environmental and health hazards caused by more than a century of coal mining...
05 September, 2024
Companies mining commodities needed for the global energy transition accused of keeping affected communities in Madagascar in the dark about their plans. Oscar Nkala investigates...
16 August, 2024
John Grobler takes an inside look at a green hydrogen project that has made the most visible progress of nine such projects currently under development in Namibia...
07 August, 2024
Communities living on and working land in the DRC say they are not informed about mining permits for energy transition minerals. Jonas Kiriko speaks to them...
02 August, 2024
Wind farms are picking up speed in the province at the heart of South Africa’s energy transition, reports Thabo Molelekwa...
24 July, 2024
Historic UN deal to restore degraded forest ecosystems in southeastern DRC is being torn apart by mining companies. Jonas Kiriko investigates...
22 July, 2024
Tanzania is banking on its natural resources during the global transition to clean energy, but analysts warn there are dangers ahead. Oscar Nkala investigates...
12 July, 2024
Green hydrogen features in Namibian projects aimed at producing carbon-free steel and ammonia fuel for shipping and rail transport. John Grobler reports...
05 July, 2024
Despite its resources and capacity for green energy storage, SA's energy capital reaps minimal benefits due to an export-heavy focus. Sakhile Dube investigates...
20 June, 2024
Power shortages across the country are fuelling deforestation through the illegal charcoal trade. Nqobile Tshili, Yolanda Moyo and Nkosana Vuma investigate how this network operate...
12 June, 2024
The province is the focus of ambitious plans for GH2 power development, but civil society organisations fear it promises more than can be delivered. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
07 June, 2024
Poaching and illegal coal mining threaten the future of Matabeleland’s elephant population. Nokuthaba Mathema investigates ...
04 June, 2024
The Environmental Management Agency does not have enough power to curb rampant water pollution and land degradation. Mandla Tshuma investigates the battles it faces...
24 May, 2024
Zimbabwe is positioning itself as a global leader in mining and processing lithium. Tatenda Chitagu investigates the cost of these ambitious plans...
17 May, 2024
A pilot project in Mpumalanga’s energy heartland aims to capture air pollution and store it in the ground. Thabo Molelekwa looks into this controversial technology...
24 April, 2024
Still reeling from environmental and public health problems caused by lead mining, the country now faces growing manganese demand for electric batteries. Oscar Nkala investigates...
16 April, 2024
As the global transition to greener sources of energy continues full steam ahead, Oxpeckers takes the #PowerTracker project to journalists on the ground. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
05 March, 2024
Development of R155-million LNG pilot in Amersfoort promoted as a way to alleviate energy shortages while South Africa transitions to renewable energy. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
23 February, 2024
Cobalt is a critical energy transition mineral, but its use in batteries and electric vehicles comes at a high price for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Oscar Nkala investiga...
14 February, 2024
Mining companies cashing in on global demand for cobalt are destroying protected nature reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jonas Kiriko investigates...
05 February, 2024
John Grobler travels to the Daures Green Hydrogen Village pilot project in Namibia to find some answers...
23 January, 2024
Puros is the northern-most of three ‘hydrogen valleys’ identified in the Namibian government’s GH2 masterplan. John Grobler visited to find out why...
18 January, 2024
Financing for the Just Energy Transition is increasing, but is being undermined by indebted municipalities in Mpumalanga that are not bankable. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
29 November, 2023
Namibia’s ambitious GH2 project poses threats to a sensitive biodiversity hotspot and local communities, critics say. John Grobler investigates...
17 November, 2023
Hyphen’s ambitious GH2 venture is flawed and opaque, according to local critics. John Grobler spoke to them...
16 November, 2023
Mozambique's Energy for All programme has made great strides in far northern Mozambique, but not everyone is happy with it. Buanamade Assane investigates...
30 October, 2023
HySHiFT project at Secunda is pioneering sustainable aviation fuel to help meet South Africa’s industry decarbonisation goals. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
25 October, 2023
Government authorities and communities have switched to solar panels and photovoltaic plants to power health units, schools and water supply systems, reports Nelsa Momade Pedro...
17 October, 2023
Investors are keen to support solar power in Northern Mozambique, but development on the ground is slow to take off. Amade Abubacar investigates why...
10 October, 2023
South Africa expects more pledges as COP28 gathers steam, but how far have Western countries come in delivering on previous commitments they made? Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
22 September, 2023
South Sudan has a Wildlife Act, but lacks the capacity to enforce the law effectively. Diing Magot and Denis Morris Mimbugbe investigate for #WildEye Eastern Africa...
15 September, 2023
Wheeling electricity offers a solution to South Africa’s power crisis, so why is it not happening in the energy heartland? Andiswa Matikinca and Thabo Molelekwa investigate...
30 August, 2023
Bushfires in Burundi’s protected areas are prohibited by law, but runaway infernos are threatening the reserves and contributing to climate change. Espoir Iradukunda investigates...
17 August, 2023
Ivory and other wild contraband seized by authorities is being returned to the black market in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jonas Kiriko investigates why...
10 August, 2023
Thabo Molelekwa gets an update on the training and community support programmes taking shape at Eskom’s pilot renewable energy plant...
13 July, 2023
Coal lobbying has long been an influential force in South Africa’s politics and economy. Thabo Molelekwa investigates its impacts on green energy investments...
19 June, 2023
Much has been made about the US$8.5-billion pledged to support South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. Thabo Molelekwa investigates where it is...
23 May, 2023
A business coalition in SA’s energy heartland proposes a private take-over of Eskom’s assets – but not everyone agrees with privatising energy production. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
15 May, 2023
SA’s transition to renewable energy is challenged by a shortage of skills development and training. Thabo Molelekwa investigates, with support from the Pulitzer Center...
04 April, 2023
'Get-rich-quick’ coal prospecting rights threaten ecologically & economically vulnerable areas bordering Hluhluwe-iMfolozi reserve. Tony Carnie investigates for Our Burning Planet...
10 March, 2023
South Africa’s power capital is being left behind in the race for renewable energy generation, reports Andiswa Matikinca...
02 March, 2023
New guide will assist investigators, prosecutors and other law enforcers to address the challenges of lack of evidence in prosecuting wildlife crimes. Kelly Rwamapera reports...
06 February, 2023
Environmentalists and coal-dependent communities say people at the frontline of SA’s energy transition are in the dark about how it will unfold. Thabo Molelekwa speaks to them...
25 January, 2023
Mpumalanga, the province ‘where the sun rises’, takes centre stage in SA’s Just Energy Transition Plan. Yolandi Groenewald unpicks the details...
18 November, 2022
Giant sugar companies in Eswatini diversified into biopower cogeneration to keep the lights on, but how long will the strategy last? Phathizwe Zulu investigates...
21 October, 2022
An ambitious public-private biogas project needs to be scaled up if it is to contribute to Botswana’s renewable energy targets by 2030. Sharon Tshipa investigates...
06 October, 2022
In response to extreme climate fall-out, Zimbabwe is ramping up its transition to electric vehicles as one of its key mitigation measures. Debra Matabvu investigates...
28 September, 2022
Independent producers are already feeding enough power into the grid to replace two coal-fired stations. Thabo Molelekwa investigates the status of SA’s renewable energy roll-out...
22 September, 2022
A wind farm hailed as Africa’s largest renewable energy project and the solution to Lesotho’s hefty electricity costs has ground to a halt. Sechaba Mokhethi investigates why...
16 September, 2022
'Navara', the alleged leader of poaching syndicates preying on rhinos in the Kruger National Park, has been arrested. Estacio Valoi, who has been tracking him for years, reports...
02 August, 2022
Handling of wildlife crimes in Uganda has improved since the establishment in 2017 of a special court to handle related cases, reports Cliff Abenaitwe...
08 July, 2022
Data shows intelligence operations have confiscated 160 live Temminck’s pangolins from the illegal trade in South Africa over the past five years, reports Calistus Bosaletswe...
23 June, 2022
Tanzania’s elephant population has been rising amid law enforcement successes in dismantling trafficking rings that ferry ivory to Asia, a data investigation by Peter Elias shows...
21 June, 2022
Increasing human activities and settlement across wildlife corridors fuel poaching incidents of giraffes for game meat and animal fat in Northern Tanzania. Mussa Juma investigates...
14 June, 2022
Southern African countries are grappling with illegal pangolin trade. Calistus Bosaletswe analyses data sources to find out how this trade takes place...
03 June, 2022
International trade in live baby primates is a by-product of the roaring illegal bushmeat trade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Oscar Nkala investigates...
19 May, 2022
The EU imported more than €22-million worth of timber from Myanmar in 2021 – and nearly €8-million after sanctions were imposed on the military junta. Guillaume Pajot investigates...
08 April, 2022
Italy has become Europe’s top importer of Burmese teak, even after the coup in Myanmar, helping to fund the military regime and encourage deforestation. Rudi Bressa investigates...
31 March, 2022
Since the military seized power in Myanmar in 2021 and the European Union imposed sanctions on the junta, the teak trade has been pushed underground. Sarah Tekath investigates...
25 March, 2022
India is the world’s third-largest shark catcher. It banned the export of shark fins in 2015, but the illegal trade is still thriving. Shamsheer Yousaf & Monica Jha investigate...
18 February, 2022
Online trade and China's ambitious Belt and Road development plans pose new threats to the ‘poster boy’ of ecosystem conservation in Asia, reports Hsiuwen Liu...
31 January, 2022
Oscar Nkala tracks a controversial deal to export 18 reticulated giraffes from Southern Africa to a wildlife zoo and entertainment park in Taiwan...
13 December, 2021
Sadiq Naqvi unveils data and routes behind India’s underground trade in snow leopards and their body parts...
03 December, 2021
Scattered data is complicating efforts to protect snow leopards against illegal trade, Varsha Singh reports from Uttarakhand in northern India...
26 November, 2021
Investigation exposes illegal trade in the skins of rare species right in the heart of the main tourist attraction of Gilgit-Baltistan...
19 November, 2021
Kathmandu has become a hub of international wildlife crime that poses an additional threat to the conservation of rare snow leopards. Tufan Neupane investigates...
12 November, 2021
China is the biggest market of illegal trade in snow leopards. A data investigation by Hsiuwen Liu uncovers recent organised trafficking in the rare cats...
05 November, 2021
SA has some of the world’s largest chrome resources, but regulatory problems are aiding illegal activities in the industry. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
25 October, 2021
The National Prosecuting Authority has revealed a list of charges against the duo for their involvement in the illegal rhino horn trade. Simon Bloch investigates...
13 October, 2021
Part 3: What is the future for those developing GM crops in Africa despite resistance to the technology? Andiswa Matikinca, Arnaud Ouedraogo & Benon Herbert Oluka investigate...
28 September, 2021
Part 2: Andiswa Matikinca, Arnaud Ouedraogo & Benon Herbert Oluka look into health and environmental concerns surrounding agricultural biotechnologies, better known as GMOs...
20 September, 2021
Part 1: why South Africa, Burkina Faso and Uganda have had mixed fortunes. A transnational investigation by Andiswa Matikinca, Arnaud Ouedraogo and Benon Herbert Oluka...
15 September, 2021
A High Court case is expected to set a precedent on conflicts between private community ownership rights and commercial mining in the former homelands. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
23 August, 2021
An ambitious new government strategy to deal with abandoned mines is welcome but needs more teeth, say those in the know. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
30 July, 2021
While the world is shifting away from fossil fuels, data on planned new mines indicates the coal mining industry might not be winding down any time soon. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
25 June, 2021
Go-ahead for controversial open-pit copper mine in Lower Zambezi National Park has become a political hot potato in the run-up to Zambian elections. Oscar Nkala investigates...
23 June, 2021
Wildlife traffickers in Southeast Asia are stockpiling animal parts in anticipation of demand recovering when Covid-19 restrictions are eased. Imelda Abano & Leilani Chavez report...
04 June, 2021
A landmark court case sees the SA government being sued for the first time for the alleged violation of a Constitutional right to clean air. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
27 May, 2021
Data investigation shows Hong Kong lacks the legal power to crack down on international criminal syndicates profiting off its wildlife trafficking routes. Hsiuwen Liu reports...
19 May, 2021
Could illegal wildlife trade in Vietnam come back stronger after Covid-19? Trang Bui and Lam Quan spoke with traffickers and analysed 10 years’ worth of data to find out...
21 April, 2021
Experts say recent earth tremors highlight the need to shut down the Koeberg nuclear station at the end of its lifespan in three years’ time. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
01 April, 2021
Courts in Malaysia are imposing heavier penalties for wildlife crimes, but is this enough to deter organised criminal networks? Richa Syal investigates...
24 March, 2021
The release of 83 rhino poachers from South African jails did not help the uphill battle faced by prosecutors dealing with environmental crimes in Mozambique, reports Estacio Valoi...
16 March, 2021
Captive tigers are big business in France. A new law to ban wild animals in circuses could change this – or end up driving the market underground. Guillaume Pajot investigates...
12 March, 2021
Lack of data about the tiger trade in Europe is stimulating illegal trafficking in this endangered species – and Italy and France are two major hotspots. Rudi Bressa investigates...
10 March, 2021
Namibia’s over-burdened criminal justice system is struggling to keep up with rhino-poaching court cases. Is a special wildlife crime court the answer? John Grobler investigates...
24 February, 2021
The real war on poaching happens in the courtroom – but the wheels of justice grind slowly in many rhino-related cases, writes Jacqueline Cochrane...
19 February, 2021
Botswana’s controversial Bo Chang donkey abattoir is back in business. It’s flouting the law and setting a dangerous precedent, reports Oscar Nkala...
17 February, 2021
Andiswa Matikinca investigates whether the sun is setting on the coal industry as major producers are pulling out and leaving their coal assets to be picked up by smaller companies...
15 February, 2021
Reconnaissance of ReconAfrica's proposed fracking site in Kavanga raised concerns about ecosystems, water and communal lands, writes John Grobler...
01 February, 2021
Data investigation by Calistus Bosaletswe shows that over a 10-year period South Africa received most of the live lions and their products exported from Botswana...
20 January, 2021
Oscar Nkala investigates how corrupt judicial processes in Zimbabwe are helping wildlife traffickers get off scot free...
13 January, 2021
Manzolwandle Investments expresses confidence in proceeding with its proposed coal mine on the southern border of Kruger National Park. Andiswa Matikinca reports for Earth Focus...
21 October, 2020
Yuexuan Chen talks to qualified practitioners about wildlife treatments in traditional Chinese medicine, and the perceptions of Western media...
12 October, 2020
Using the Quarantine Act to prosecute a wildlife-smuggling syndicate gave the biggest verdict ever. Will it work in other trafficking cases? Rezza Aji Pratama investigates...
11 September, 2020
Cross-border donkey smugglers in Zimbabwe and Botswana are operating pipelines used for ivory, pangolins and Covid-19 contraband. Oscar Nkala investigates...
08 September, 2020
Data-driven investigation shows 10 UK-based companies paid out at least US$1.076-billion to SA government and communities in 2018. Andiswa Matikinca follows the money...
14 July, 2020
New #WildEye data reveals that Eastern Europe is an important region for wildlife traffickers. And it seems likely that many crimes go unnoticed and unpunished, writes Marius Daea...
02 July, 2020
Environmental groups say a symbolic gesture would send a clear signal to the public that use of pangolin scales is no longer permitted. Alexis Kriel reports...
12 June, 2020
The government is in the process of fast-tracking water use authorisations. What are the implications for water security? Andiswa Matikinca investigates the data...
15 May, 2020
Data investigation by #WildEye Asia exposes lenient punishments for pangolin offences that are unlikely to deter illegal trade. Investigation by Bao Choy...
05 May, 2020
Research, contacts and networks from our journalistic investigations in the hub of Africa's illegal pangolin trade contributed to Nigeria hosting World Pangolin Day...
05 March, 2020
A rush of coal prospecting applications raises new fears about mining around Mapungubwe National Park, a world heritage site of cultural and environmental importance...
27 February, 2020
Oxpeckers associate Yuexuan Chen tells her story of Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicentre of the coronavirus crisis...
20 February, 2020
Indepth investigation shows trophy hunters and luxury fashion brands working to influence the IUCN, the world’s leading authority on endangered species conservation...
14 February, 2020
Deliberations at the 11th Alternative Mining Indaba focused on environmental damage and climate change caused by the extractives industry. Andiswa Matikinca was there...
14 February, 2020
Instead of grabbing the story and rushing away to publish, this journalistic investigation helped remote rural community members participate in the project...
05 February, 2020
Heated dispute erupts over SA’s biggest land settlement at MalaMala game reserve. What does it mean for community ecotourism around Kruger? See our multimedia investigation...
21 January, 2020
Organised illegal trade with links to China is affecting endangered marine species across the Puglia region. Investigation by Peter Yeung & Carlotta Dotto...
19 December, 2019
Lifting of a ban on donkey abattoirs has stimulated a regional animal welfare and security crisis in East Africa. Oscar Nkala investigates...
12 December, 2019
Law enforcement agencies in Europe are making an impact on illegal wildlife e-commerce, a #WildEye data investigation shows...
09 December, 2019
‘Right now, they’re not permitted to put a shovel in the ground – and we’re aiming to keep it that way,’ say victorious opponents of Atha-Africa’s mining plans...
22 November, 2019
Millions of glass eels are smuggled out of Europe each year, and their looming extinction poses a serious ecological threat. #WildEye investigates...
13 November, 2019
Limpopo’s flagship Musina-Makhado project is being developed in an arid region that includes national priority freshwater ecosystems. Andiswa Matikinca investigates ...
25 October, 2019
An apparently open-and-shut case of pangolin poaching and torture hit a brick wall when it got to court. Ed Stoddard investigates...
14 October, 2019
This story of an ancient species at risk is also the story of a proud people laid low by regulation. It shows that conservation is never simple, writes Marius Daea...
10 October, 2019
News of the arrest of Lucílio Matsinhe was received with shock because he is the son of a 'liberator of the homeland' and former minister of security. Nazira Suleimane reports...
02 October, 2019
Modern investigative techniques used to solve human crimes are now helping to catch wildlife poachers, smugglers and traffickers. Léa Surugue investigates...
25 September, 2019
Rangers on the ground say a tug of war among decision makers is exposing Mozambique’s largest national reserve to poachers and ivory traffickers. Estacio Valoi investigates...
12 September, 2019
Rising demand from consumers, local greed in a failing economy, weak controls and corrupt law enforcement are driving wild sturgeon in the Danube to extinction. By Denise Hruby...
27 August, 2019
An Appeal Court ruling has stalled plans to frack the Drakensberg in KwaZulu-Natal, but two exploration applications are still on track. Yuexuan Chen investigates...
21 August, 2019
Mining your Water project empowers users to track and share water use licences approved for mining, reports Andiswa Matikinca ...
14 August, 2019
Thousands of euros change hands at reptile trade fairs, but it's hard to tell if the deals are legal or not. Rudi Bressa investigates...
02 August, 2019
How the online illegal trade of rhino horn works, and how innovative technology is being used to disrupt the market ...
01 August, 2019
Cyberspace provides an anonymous, versatile marketplace for illegal wildlife trade. Rudi Bressa investigates how easy it is to set up illicit deals from Italy...
30 July, 2019
Analysis of #WildEye data shows there has been an increase in the number of court cases and convictions taking place across Europe, writes Roxanne Joseph...
26 July, 2019
Use of pangolins for bushmeat and African traditional medicine is complicated by the growing, unsustainable demand for scales from Asia. Alexis Kriel investigates...
05 July, 2019
New report exposes ‘gross violations’ of water permit regulations by eight coal mines in Mpumalanga. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
03 July, 2019
Feiqian is the single biggest obstacle in investigating organised wildlife trafficking and related crimes, a year-long investigation by John Grobler established...
28 June, 2019
In a sophisticated laundering scheme, traffickers fly the eggs to Europe, incubate them and pass off the live birds as captive-bred. Denise Hruby investigates...
10 June, 2019
Pangolin populations across South Asia are endangered by a huge trade in animal parts supplying the appetite for Chinese traditional medicine...
10 June, 2019
Mali restricted the sale and slaughter of donkeys for skins in 2016, so syndicates have turned to smuggling stolen animals to Ghana. Oscar Nkala investigates...
28 May, 2019
For organised crime, the smuggling of endangered species is a lucrative business. Denise Hruby reports on how German customs agents use tracking dogs to crack down on the trade...
23 May, 2019
Demand for donkey-hide glue has turned Ghana into the region’s slaughterhouse, and the Chinese abattoir behind the trade is re-opening for business. Oscar Nkala investigates...
20 May, 2019
New data reveals a radical increase in the number of mines flouting water regulations. Mark Olalde & Andiswa Matikinca investigate...
17 May, 2019
More than five million birds are hunted illegally in Italy every year – by far the most in Europe. Matteo Civillini investigates efforts to crack down on offenders...
15 May, 2019
Recent seizures of huge amounts of scales have turned Nigeria into Africa’s key illegal pangolin exporting country. Alexis Kriel investigates what is driving the trade...
06 May, 2019
'We know our lives are in danger': Attacks on anti-mining activists and environmental defenders documented in a new report. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
16 April, 2019
Estácio Valoi exposes how the failure of UNDP funding intended to combat environmental destruction left Mozambican communities to battle cyclones, floods and drought alone...
29 March, 2019
Transnational investigation into abalone smuggling from South Africa to China wins at Asian Environmental Journalism Awards...
22 March, 2019
Tensions mount in the diamond-rich Richtersveld after the sale of mines by Trans Hex left a multi-million-rand rehabilitation debt. Yolandi Groenewald investigates...
18 March, 2019
John Grobler investigates the overlap between abalone and rhino horn smuggling syndicates operating between South Africa, Namibia and Hong Kong...
08 March, 2019
Shooting hyenas to save wild horses raises heated debate about interventions between endemic wildlife and ‘feral’ animals. Linda Baker investigates...
26 February, 2019
President Cyril Ramaphosa says SA mining wants to be more transparent and embracing. Andiswa Matikinca talks to organisations with advice...
08 February, 2019
The busy festive period is perfect for slipping abalone and other illegal animals through customs, writes Denise Hruby...
06 February, 2019
Being able to identify online transactions and conversations involving vulnerable species will assist in the fight against wildlife trafficking. Roxanne Joseph reports...
04 February, 2019
Our digital geojournalism tool #WildEye gives easy access to data on seizures, arrests, court cases and convictions related to wildlife crime in Europe...
28 January, 2019
The Western majoritarian view does not work when consulting mining-affected communities such as Xolobeni, reports Andiswa Matikinca...
24 January, 2019
Gruesome discovery of organised transnational crime ring exposes how illegal tiger farms are operating in the middle of the European Union. Tristan Martin investigates...
15 January, 2019
Wildlife criminals are increasingly using Europe's mail and online retail delivery services to smuggle their contraband. Denise Hruby investigates...
14 January, 2019
Six years and €50-million since its creation, Oscar Nkala visits the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area to find out what impact it has had on wildlife and communities...
14 December, 2018
South Africa and its allies at the COP24 climate negotiations are pushing for a strong rulebook on the Paris Agreement. Yolandi Groenewald reports from Katowice...
13 December, 2018
Executives at Mintails and DRDGOLD scramble to avoid liability and the possibility of criminal charges for R460-million environmental mess on the West Rand...
12 December, 2018
South African pioneers are inventing ways to save casualties of the world’s biggest wildlife crime, reports Louise de Bruin...
04 December, 2018
Stolen donkeys are smuggled across borders with Tanzania and Ethiopia to feed Kenya’s expanding abattoirs and Chinese demand for donkey-hide glue. Oscar Nkala investigates...
28 November, 2018
As enforcement steps up, illicit operations go deeper into darkness. New research suggests the marketplace could become impossible to disrupt, writes Roxanne Joseph...
27 November, 2018
Local residents reported blasting and the removal of coal close to the wetlands of the Greater Lakenvlei Protected Environment. Andiswa Matikinca investigates...
21 November, 2018
Our new #WildEye project aims to expose wildlife smuggling networks and how they work across the greater European continent...
20 November, 2018
An anonymous tip-off sparked a sustained investigative journalism trail and a precedent-setting High Court judgment, writes Julia Thomas...
16 November, 2018
Story about Patricia de Lille’s struggle to access climate funding for drought-stricken Cape Town wins United Nations contest...
02 November, 2018
Experts want to see a more scientific approach to designing, monitoring and evaluating interventions against wildlife crime, reports Mike Shanahan...
25 October, 2018
The illegal trade driving the world’s smallest marine mammal to extinction carries an important lesson for broader efforts to combat wildlife crime, writes Mike Shanahan...
25 October, 2018
Judicial review of Cabinet decision to open Mabola strategic water zone raises questions about the status of mining in protected environments. Tholakele Nene reports...
18 October, 2018
Researchers explore ways to bring attention to and inform policy on illegal wildlife trade. By Sara Schonhardt and James Fahn...
10 October, 2018
Cape Town’s ‘Day Zero’ sets an example for other cities faced with doomsday climate scenarios. Yolandi Groenewald reports...
03 October, 2018
Public participation in the mining sector has improved but there is still a long way to go to gain stakeholder trust, writes Tholakele Nene...
28 September, 2018
Parliamentary committee asks for explanations following Oxpeckers report on mining company’s liquidation plans. Lisa Steyn reports...
19 September, 2018
Three years after drought-stricken Cape Town applied to the global Green Climate Fund, the city’s application is still pending. Yolandi Groenewald reports...
17 September, 2018
Outrage greeted the early release of notorious Thai trafficker Chumlong Lemtongthai, who used false South African hunting permits to launder rhino horns. Simon Bloch reports...
13 September, 2018
Across Asia and the Chinatowns of Europe a growing demand for jaguar body parts is placing pressure on the big cats of the Americas. Eduardo Franco Berton investigates...
31 August, 2018
Oscar Nkala talks to a jailed Zambian elephant poacher about the structure, financing and operations of cross-border smuggling gangs...
24 August, 2018
Law enforcement agencies are creating new ways to combat online illegal wildlife trade. A centralised data repository is crucial to their success, writes Roxanne Joseph...
16 August, 2018
Liquidation leaves a R330-million environmental mess for Gauteng residents, government and other mining companies to clean up. Mark Olalde investigates...
08 August, 2018
SA’s Parliament decides to initiate a forensic investigation into the controversial R1.1-billion MalaMala deal, the country’s most expensive land settlement. Tholakele Nene reports...
25 July, 2018
Threats against critics of mining in protected water resource are part of a bigger trend of corporations trying to bully their critics into silence, reports John Yeld...
24 July, 2018
Roxanne Joseph asks questions you can use to tell the difference between legal and illegal advertising of animal products on social media...
13 July, 2018
With about 6,000 abandoned mines across South Africa, regulators are searching for answers to irresponsible mine closure. Mark Olalde reports...
11 July, 2018
Increased access to the Internet is facilitating rampant online wildlife trade in South Africa. Roxanne Joseph investigates why it is such an attractive marketplace...
06 July, 2018
The death of ancient trees in southern Africa not only affects biodiversity but will have a huge impact on society in general, reports Louise de Bruin...
04 July, 2018
The South African-based marketplace for online wildlife trade is Africa’s largest. Roxanne Joseph investigates where this cryptotrade is taking place...
29 June, 2018
Zimbabwe’s wildlife estate is open for business among unethical foreign hunters, corrupt officials and fraudsters, an investigation by Oxpeckers reporters shows...
21 June, 2018
Ground-breaking termite study shows climate change is altering Africa’s savannahs, and how ecosystems could stop functioning as a result. Louise de Bruin reports...
07 June, 2018
Botswana has lifted its moratorium on donkey abattoirs and is scouting markets in Asia, writes Oscar Nkala...
01 June, 2018
Indian company Atha-Africa Ventures is going ahead with an application to change land use at the Mabola protected area to open it to mining. Julia Thomas investigates...
18 May, 2018
Licensing of the country’s first commercial donkey abattoir was ruled out last October, but at Battlefront Investments business carries on as usual. Oscar Nkala investigates...
15 May, 2018
Game reserves are being developed along the Mozambique border to create a buffer zone against poaching. But displaced communities say it’s a land grab...
06 April, 2018
How did 13 rhino bulls from the Kruger National Park end up on a hunting farm owned by a reclusive Russian billionaire in Namibia?...
21 February, 2018
Most of the work of the international wildlife trade body focuses on endangered species in Africa, say pro-sustainable use groups...
13 February, 2018
Who are the people driving Namibia’s plans to open commercial abattoirs for donkey meat and skins for Asia? Oscar Nkala tracks them down...
01 December, 2017
Lessons we learnt from experimenting with savvy storytelling tech to tell visually strong and impactful multimedia investigations...
10 November, 2017
Modus operandi of ivory smuggling networks exposed after recent arrest of a 'mastermind' in the illicit trade from Pemba to China. Estacio Valoi investigates...
07 November, 2017
Pioneering data journalism project on financial provisions for mine closures and rehabilitation is rewarded with top environmental media award...
25 October, 2017
Donkey smugglers are taking advantage of cross-border criminal networks to meet the growing demand for hides. Oscar Nkala investigates...
05 October, 2017
Namibia has given the go-ahead to two donkey abattoirs that plan to export meat to Vietnam and skins to China. They have met stiff opposition from locals, reports Oscar Nkala...
28 August, 2017
Chinese traders are driving the cruel slaughter of donkeys across Southern Africa, for traditional potions that use gelatin in the hide. Investigation by Oscar Nkala...
24 August, 2017
More than 90% of Mozambican timber is exported to China at less than its true value. Estacio Valoi uncovers collusion between shipping agents, customs officials and port managers...
22 August, 2017
Ancient hardwood trees in the Caprivi State Forest are being looted by a Chinese syndicate exploiting legal loopholes and de-bushing tenders for farming. John Grobler investigates...
09 August, 2017
Disrupting the Future: How communities and experts work together to reduce flood disaster risks in Limpopo. A multimedia #ClimaTracker investigation by Anina Mumm When the Western ...
25 July, 2017
Mining at the Mabola protected water zone is on hold – for now. The status of the mining right is unclear after court action by civil society groups this week, reports Mark Olalde...
30 June, 2017
Understanding and dealing with tremors during veterinary treatment is essential to securing the species, reports Louise de Bruin...
27 June, 2017
Mabola is a strategic water source that feeds four of South Africa's major rivers, but the government has approved a licence to mine coal there. Oxpeckers broke the story in 2015, ...
16 June, 2017
Crystal Chow investigates how the race over the most sought-after delicacy in Asia embodies the developmental dilemma in post-apartheid South Africa...
09 June, 2017
The future of electricity generation is no longer guaranteed to the coal industry. Which forms of power will keep the lights on? Mark Olalde investigates...
25 May, 2017
Journalist John Grobler was on assignment in Angola when he came across a young chimpanzee in trouble. This is the story of his mission to take her to a place of safety...
23 May, 2017
Never-before-seen data shows a fortune has been set aside for mine rehabilitation in South Africa. But large mines are not being properly closed, and the money cannot be touched. M...
17 May, 2017
Botswana has a global reputation for zero tolerance of poaching and wildlife crimes. In recent years, however, it has become vulnerable to insider wildlife crimes committed by rogu...
10 May, 2017
Adapt, or die: How do people survive when there's no water in their taps and the dams are bone-dry? A multimedia investigation by Yolandi Groenewald and Johnny Miller...
05 May, 2017
President Jacob Zuma is talking tough about radical land redistribution and the expropriation of farms. If reform is not well targeted it may threaten food security and benefit onl...
26 April, 2017
Oxpeckers publishes never-before-seen data exposing the lack of mine closures, despite R45-billion being held in financial provisions for rehabilitation in 2015. Investigation by M...
07 April, 2017
The Northern Cape is mostly a dry province, but preventing malaria is one of the measures it is taking to adapt to climate change, reports Rehana Dada...
29 March, 2017
Estacio Valoi travelled to Mozambique’s poaching capital to catch up with some of the kingpins who built their mansions on the proceeds of killing Kruger’s rhinos...
14 March, 2017
There has never been a more urgent time for Cape Town to adapt or die. Yolandi Groenewald investigates the measures city authorities are taking to survive the water woes...
07 March, 2017
Some farmers believe it is the wild rooibos plant that holds the secret to keeping climate change at bay, rather than its domesticated cousin. Yolandi Groenewald reports Rooibos te...
28 February, 2017
Without any public notification, South Africa’s ministers of environment and mining signed off on a coal mining project in the critical Mabola water catchment in Mpumalanga. Mark O...
15 February, 2017
Xuecheng Hou, a wealthy Chinese businessman linked to wildlife trafficking, has emerged as a major player in the illegal trade in rare African timber. John Grobler investigates...
07 February, 2017
Social and labour plans are supposed to improve life for communities affected by mining. Unfortunately, because of the fog surrounding how they operate and are enforced, these comm...
06 February, 2017
Tricia Govindasamy looks into the impacts of environmental authorisation for expanding Sedibelo mine in the North West Heritage Park Corridor The expansion of a mining project that...
23 January, 2017
Despite a ban on the export of raw timber in Mozambique, containers filled with hardwood logs are piling up in northern harbours for export to China. Estacio Valoi investigates Whi...
10 January, 2017
After an 18-month search, Mark Olalde accessed data on mine closure trust funds, financial provisions for rehabilitation and closure certificates...
15 December, 2016
Traditional food crops that have adapted to climate change and poor soils hold the key to food security, but is enough being done to conserve them?...
12 December, 2016
The Namibian authorities don’t seem to be in any hurry to shut down a rhino horn smuggling syndicate that has infiltrated security at Windhoek’s airport, writes John Grobler...
02 December, 2016
In response to climate change farmers prefer livestock species that are heat and drought tolerant, as well as disease and parasite resistant, writes Kennedy Dzama The climate of th...
01 December, 2016
Small-scale farmers observe crop yield increases in a time of drought due to adaptation interventions Local farmers in the uMgungundlovu District in KwaZulu-Natal have recently sta...
23 November, 2016
South Africa is one of the world's leading wine producers, 95% of it in the Western Cape. Yolandi Groenewald investigates the delicate tightrope wine farmers have ...
16 November, 2016
Ambitious government plans to grow the oceans economy are threatened by prospecting licences that would open the marine economic zone to phosphate strip mining. Mark Ol...
11 November, 2016
Fifteen months after Zimbabwe's two infamous lion killings earned the Lower Dete Valley its reputation as the graveyard of Hwange National Park’s big cats, Oscar Nkala<...
07 November, 2016
A controversial underground coal mine in a protected water catchment in Mpumalanga has moved closer to breaking ground after it was granted environmental authorisation and ...
05 October, 2016
The hunting of a rhino by a Vietnamese client with the ‘Musina Mafia’ set the tone for the treatment of the endangered species at CITES CoP17, writes Yolandi Groenewald...
05 October, 2016
Depending on your views about legal trade in wildlife products, the past week was either a good week or a very good week for Namibian conservation, writes John Grobler...
04 October, 2016
What do the CITES decisions mean for Southern Africa's elephants – and in particular, the world-famous Kruger National Park, where CITES has documented a 23% rise in elepha...
04 October, 2016
South Africa has no wild grey parrots, yet it is the world’s biggest exporter of the popular endangered birds. Kimon de Greef exposes the role of the breeders in calls for CITES to...
29 September, 2016
An undercover investigation exposes South Africa’s growing role in illicit transnational pangolin smuggling. Will the ban on trade by CITES make any difference? Special rep...
29 September, 2016
Women now have a place in a labour-intensive workplace with heavy machinery designed for muscle, but a rough industry is struggling to get to grips with their presence unde...
21 September, 2016
Activists face uphill battles when they push back against mining companies. Their stories include violence, secret deals, a lack of access to information and unenforced law...
16 September, 2016
After a two-year investigation, John Grobler exposes the totem-based networks facilitating transnational rhino horn smuggling and defeating the pursuit of suspects...
15 September, 2016
Why did Swaziland submit a last-minute proposal asking CITES to approve an experimental ‘pilot project’ to sell its stockpiled rhino horns? What does this mean for the COP1...
09 September, 2016
Game breeders cashing in on sales of endangered oribis are adding to the threats pushing the species towards extinction. Dale Hes investigates...
07 September, 2016
SADC report reveals how member states favour an anti-poaching strategy with far-reaching consequences for the independence of national judiciaries, writes Lawrence Sere...
02 September, 2016
Communities affected by mining in South Africa live under a double-edged sword. Geojournalism helps them to participate in governance and compliance monitoring...
26 August, 2016
Why are the icons of conservation being arrested in connection with rhino poaching? Yolandi Groenewald examines the screening processes for Kruger rangers...
23 August, 2016
A mysterious hunting lodge with a backdoor into the Etosha National Park provides a possible key to the decimation of Namibia’s critically endangered black rhinos...
11 August, 2016
Terence Govender, vice-president of development at the giant SolarReserve project in the Northern Cape, talks to Tholakele Nene about the benefits of investing in renewable energy ...
19 July, 2016
John Grobler visits Okahao, a sleepy settlement near Etosha that is at the centre of the poaching plague threatening the world’s last critically endangered black rhinos...
11 July, 2016
Tholakele Nene finds out how giant solar power projects are making a difference to rural lives affected by climate change in semi-desert areas of the Northern Cape...
04 July, 2016
John Grobler reports on the sensational arrest of a young Windhoek businessman and his alleged role in the slaughter of critically endangered black rhinos...
27 June, 2016
By Locadia Mavhudzi Approximately 4.5-million people, more than 30% of Zimbabwe’s population, will be in need of food aid by next March, according to recent estimates by the United...
24 June, 2016
Zambia’s elephant population has declined by about 90% due to poaching. Its black rhino population is extinct. Oscar Nkala visited the border town of Livingstone t...
21 June, 2016
Not even being famous or royal will protect you from Namibia’s crippling drought, writes John Grobler Namibia’s famous desert lion Harry, named after the British prince, has been s...
17 June, 2016
Mark Olalde revisits the fracking debate, and finds both sides digging in for a protracted fight as legislation and the benefits of shale gas mining become murkier...
03 June, 2016
American photojournalist Martin Totland travelled to the borderlands between Mozambique and Kruger National Park to investigate the latest in the anti-poaching war...
01 June, 2016
Amid growing human-wildlife conflict, Namibia’s environment minister sends out a strong message to farmers illegally killing elephants and other wildlife...
31 May, 2016
Why is a dusty town near Hwange National Park making international headlines for the poisoning of elephants? Oscar Nkala unravels the networks and modus operandi b...
20 May, 2016
Anti-poaching resources in the Kruger National Park are being stretched by a rise in elephant slaughters. Yolandi Groenewald spoke to the park's chief ranger abou...
09 May, 2016
Zimbabwean parks employees allegedly managed to steal ivory from the Hwange stockpile since 2012 and export it to international trafficking syndicates. Oscar Nkala...
22 April, 2016
Dwindling elephant numbers and heightened demand for ivory from Chinese trafficking syndicates are fuelling a cross-border poaching war in the Zambezi region. Oscar Nka...
12 April, 2016
Illegal fishing in Lake Ngami in the Okavango Delta is a threat to species and local livelihoods. It could spark cross-border conflict with Zambia and the DRC, reports <em...
17 March, 2016
Deliberate poisoning of vultures by poachers is on the rise. If current trends continue, the Cape vulture will have declined by 98% in the next three generations, writes <e...
17 March, 2016
The sale of wildlife from South Africa to Angolan national parks sparked a row over the spread of non-indigenous species. It also raised renewed fears about Angola's critic...
16 March, 2016
Montepuez ruby mine has been turned into a 'militarised zone' where villagers are beaten and illegal miners are killed, reports Estacio Valoi...
15 March, 2016
Oxpeckers Associate Shi Yi set out to investigate Chinese links in Namibia’s poaching crisis, and ended up in the middle of a sting operation that nabbed a former policeman...
14 March, 2016
In a move directly linked to an Oxpeckers investigation, the Vietnamese government has warned tour operators not to support illegal wildlife product processing workshops</s...
03 March, 2016
A multimedia investigation by Mark Olalde exposes the threats Lake Malawi faces from climate change and overuse ...
23 February, 2016
A huge environmental restoration project aims to save one of the world’s most important estuaries threatened by climate change. Report by Yolandi Groenewald</st...
22 February, 2016
Heat exhaustion is likely to occur when the human body’s temperature rises above 38℃, according to a recent study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)...
16 February, 2016
This new high was set in Vredendal, a small town in the Western Cape, where a maximum temperature of 48.3 ℃ was recorded on that date. The previous highest October......
16 February, 2016
Scientists say 2015 was the warmest year ever recorded. According to research conducted by the South Africa’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), near surfa...
16 February, 2016
South Africa has issued a preliminary forecast of maize production for the coming harvest of 7.4 million tonnes – a drop of 25% from the already poor production levels of......
15 February, 2016
Should game reserves intervene to save wildlife during climate change? Yolandi Groenewald took the debate to a drought-stricken protected area that has been forced...
27 January, 2016
After Oxpeckers published articles on the opening of the Tsitsikamma protected area to fishing, a marine scientist sent us a plea explaining why this is a bad idea...
22 January, 2016
Conservationists are warning that South Africa’s drought might represent a bigger threat to rhinos, and wildlife in general, than poaching. Yolandi Groenewald reports...
18 January, 2016
Nicky Rehbock, global campaigns officer for Corruption Watch and Transparency International, wrote this blog about the Mala Mala Files for Corruption Watch Connected</stron...
15 January, 2016
A settlement prevents fishing in the Tsitsikamma marine protected area for now, but does not affect draft regulations for its re-zoning, writes Louise de Bruin</st...
12 January, 2016
How will the MalaMala deal affect other landowners in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve? Are they running for cover, or trying to be part of the bonanza? Michelle Nel reports...
21 December, 2015
Two years after SA’s most expensive land claim settlement was concluded, post-restitution arrangements for the MalaMala Game Reserve are taking shape. Who is really benefiting?...
21 December, 2015
Marine scientists are concerned that opening South Africa's largest marine protected area will rapidly reduce stocks of endangered fish species. They liken the move to open...
11 December, 2015
Hongqiao Liu discovers how easy it is to smuggle illegal wildlife products through China’s porous border with Vietnam – where trafficking on an industrial scale happens openly...
27 November, 2015
Chinese journalist Shi Yi followed the trial of four alleged rhino horn traffickers in Namibia, and then paid a visit to their home villages in China to investigate their backgroun...
25 November, 2015
South Africa is in the grip of the worst drought since 1992. It is likely to get even worse in 2016 with the ever-increasing heat caused by El Niño, reports Tholakele N...
20 November, 2015
The two governments need to collaborate on environmental issues to combat wildlife crime, says chief of the Directorate of Parks and Wildlife Management...
16 November, 2015
Added to the crippling drought in South Africa are mining’s long-term impacts on water security. Mark Olalde investigates the costly legacy of historic mine waste<...
13 November, 2015
Court evidence reveals the typical methdology deployed by one of five organised crime syndicates believed to be active in Namibian wildlife trafficking, reports John Grobler...
23 October, 2015
It could take R30-billion to clean up thousands of abandoned mines scattered around South Africa. Who’s going to do it? And what are the implications for active and new min...
14 October, 2015
Details about the origins of a rhino poaching syndicate and their modus operandi are emerging in a Namibian court case. By Oxpeckers Reporters in Windhoek...
21 September, 2015
Ecotourism plans for a community-owned game reserve bordering the Kruger National Park are being scuppered by political patronage and the ‘rule book’ in Pretoria...
07 September, 2015
Behind Namibia's poaching crisis lies a deadly combination of corruption, drought, Chinese mining and construction ventures, and land-hungry communal cattle farmers...
17 July, 2015
Mozambique incinerated 2.5 tons of confiscated ivory and rhino horn this week, but will it end the illicit trade fuelling rampant wildlife poaching? Not unless corruption o...
10 July, 2015
SA is party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and has to produce a plan of action before the end of the year. Steps taken so far have not been e...
22 June, 2015
As the second largest economy in Africa, is South Africa in a position where it has to act on climate change? It is the perfect moment to resolve that question, writes ...
19 June, 2015
Respected wildlife veterinarian calculates there less than 3 000 white rhinos left in the Kruger. The figures will come under scrutiny in a High Court case, writes Loui...
08 June, 2015
In a major breakthrough, Mozambican police seized 65 rhino horns and 340 elephants tusks. But then some of the horns went missing and Chinese nationals arrested were report...
27 May, 2015
In a case that highlights the part seemingly legitimate US auction businesses can play in the illegal trafficking of wildlife products, the head of a Florida auction house ...
21 May, 2015
Controversial plans to strip-mine phosphate next to the West Coast National Park are forging ahead, despite confusion over the new One Environmental System. Marie-Louis...
27 March, 2015
In the latest abuse of the antiques exemptions, Canadian dealer 'Tony' Guan was jailed for smuggling rhino horns, ivory and coral across the US border...
26 March, 2015
All hunting in the drought-stricken north-western regions of Namibia should be halted pending proper assessment of game stocks, say conservationists...
09 March, 2015
Windhoek chiropractor Gerson Kandjii faces criminal charges related to the poaching of four black rhinos and the murder of retired German industrialist Reinhard Schmidt. John Grobl...
06 March, 2015
Two international journalists investigating rhino poaching in Mozambique were arrested for espionage...
17 February, 2015
The battle for Mabola is a test case for laws around prospecting and mining in a protected environment. The area is vital to South Africa's water security...
15 February, 2015
How did ‘Boxer’ die? Why are dead rhinos being found in the area his team patrolled? John Grobler digs up strange secrets surrounding the deaths of black rhinos in Kunene...
20 November, 2014
Mozambican poachers are using sugar cane fields to sneak into the Kruger National Park, where shootouts with anti-poaching teams are peaking and rhino poaching statistics c...
07 November, 2014
An historic deal to tackle wildlife crime in Mozambique has been signed between the Mozambican government and the Peace Parks Foundation...
29 October, 2014
Controversial South African hunter Dawie Groenewald and his brother, Janneman, charged in the US with fraudulently hunting 'problem' rhinos and laundering the horns on the black ma...
24 October, 2014
Moving rhinos out of the Kruger will go ahead, says SANParks, but due diligence is essential...
02 October, 2014
Elephant poaching is happening on 'an industrial scale' in northern Mozambique. A year-long investigation by Estacio Valoi exposes official complicity in the slaug...
26 September, 2014
Oxpeckers Rhino Court Cases interactive map provides an easy, accessible way to keep track of cases involving rhino poaching...
21 August, 2014
Central Africa need elephants to increase oxygen and food productivity, and to fight climate change, writes Israel Bionyi...
19 August, 2014
SANParks wants to move rhinos out of the Kruger to protect them from poachers. Contracts were signed with three hunting outfits based in the Northern Cape...
13 August, 2014
South Africa is losing a species about which very little is known. Louise de Bruin talks to two vets whose mission is to save the rhinos...
01 August, 2014
On the eve of his departure from the Police Ministry, Nathi Mthethwa released to Oxpeckers consolidated data on court cases involving alleged rhino poachers...
18 July, 2014
Another link in an international rhino horn and ivory trafficking ring between the US and China has been removed. Courier Ning Qiu admitted he sold raw rhinos horns worth about $3-...
25 June, 2014
The theft of 112 pieces of rhino horn from the conservation authority is the centre of high drama among senior parks officials, reports Sydney Masinga...
07 June, 2014
Is it worth digging up a biodiversity and heritage hotspot for fertilizer? Marie-Louise Antoni investigates plans to mine phosphate on the doorstep of t...
30 May, 2014
A community game reserve lost its first rhino to poachers this week. Franz Fuls reports that even this model of the green economy is vulnerable to poaching ...
17 April, 2014
South African and Mozambique signed an accord in the Kruger National Park on April 17 that will see the two countries jointly tackling rampant rhino poaching...
17 April, 2014
The Kenyan government granted a US$484-million contract to a Chinese firm to put up the first three berths of a gigantic port project in a global heritage site. Local residents are...
15 April, 2014
The Botswana government banned canned hunting of large carnivores, in response to an Oxpeckers cross-border investigation. Lawrence Seretse reports...
01 April, 2014
This photograph, taken during an undercover transnational investigation by Oxpeckers reporters in late 2013, went viral during a global campaign against canned lion hunting in Marc...
18 March, 2014
It's no coincidence that Mpumalanga, the province with the biggest concentration of coal mines, has the worst water quality water in South Africa. Sydney Masinga i...
14 March, 2014
The Lobito Corridor between Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo is a game-changer in the new scramble for Africa’s mineral riches. Who’s building it, and why? John Grob...
19 February, 2014
The Zambezi border region where five Southern Africa countries intersect is a wildlife trafficking hotspot. Hongxiang Huang investigated the smugglers' links to China...
11 February, 2014
Opencast coal mining operations in the Mpumalanga Highveld are destroying the livelihood, grazing and water of rural farmers. Franz Fuls visited an affected commun...
20 January, 2014
Chinese official says the country is ready to take home the critically endangered tigers that have been bred and 're-wilded' in South Africa, reports Hongqiao Liu<...
10 January, 2014
Tshekedi Khama dispatched a team of investigators to probe how lions exported from Botswana ended up in a canned hunting facility in South Africa. Investigation by Lawr...
07 January, 2014
Opencast coal mining at Weltevreden pan in Mpumalanga will destroy important wetlands supporting agriculture and water birds. How did Exxaro get a licence – and is it legal? F...
20 December, 2013
South African farmers are using cattle-rustling routes to smuggle wild lions out of Botswana to supply the demand for lion-bone potions in the Far East. Investigation by <e...
09 December, 2013
Transnational exposé: In his latest lion deal, agriculture minister Christian de Graaff exported a huge shipment of lions to a canned hunting outfit in South Africa. By <em...
07 December, 2013
Who are the Chinese citizens smuggling ivory out of Africa, and how are they doing it? Oxpeckers fellow Huang Hongxiang went to Mozambique to investigate...
06 December, 2013
Conservationists say blood money from ivory trafficking was used to fuel tensions in the run-up to elections in Mozambique. Estacio Valoi investigates...
02 December, 2013
Wan Ziming, head of China’s Management Authority at CITES, spoke to Hongqiao Liu about his concerns over opening trade in rhino horn ...
26 November, 2013
Rhino horn bangles a new fashion item? The global wildlife trade expert talks to Hongqiao Liu about China's growing appetite for horn, and what that means for the last rhinos...
19 November, 2013
Rhino horn smugglers in the US hide behind an exception for trade in antiques that are over 100 years old. Oxpeckers tracked down some of the prime suspects abusing this law to smu...
10 October, 2013
Ivory poachers targeting Kruger's big tuskers are using the same smuggling routes set up to launder rhino horns to Asian countries...
08 October, 2013
Online selling of rhino horn products is booming. Most of the trading takes place in Fujian Province, reports Hongqiao Liu...
03 October, 2013
For the first time, journalists from mainland China worked with African journalists on an undercover investigation into the Chinese connection with ivory and rhino horns market in ...
03 October, 2013
Rogue South African trophy hunters have been directly implicated in cross-border rhino poaching, according to reliable intelligence in 2013 ...
08 July, 2013
