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South Africa lost a crucial legal bid on Friday to overturn a court ruling that could permit the export of legally harvested rhino horn.
The legal battle began when Wicus Diedericks, owner of a massive game reserve in the Northern Cape, sued the government to compel authorisation for the export of over 500 white rhino horns.
In 2025, the Northern Cape High Court ruled in his favour, deciding that horns from captive-bred white rhinos could qualify for export certificates.
On Friday, that same court dismissed the government’s application to appeal the judgement and ordered the state to pay legal costs.
This decision directly challenges a global ban on the rhino horn trade, which the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has enforced since 1977.
Critics of the ban, including Diedericks, argue that regulated sales of horns harvested from live animals can sustainably fund expensive anti-poaching operations and dampen black-market demand.
Diedericks hailed the ruling as a historic victory that validates the rights of private conservationists to fund their protection efforts and potentially save the species from extinction.
“This historic decision validates the rights of private conservationists and breeding facilities to fund their critical, high-cost protection efforts.”
– Wicus Diedericks, Game Reserve Owner
While the environment department did not immediately comment, the government can still appeal Friday’s decision to a higher court.
Meanwhile, international conservation groups remain highly critical of the legal challenge.
The British NGO Environmental Investigation Agency previously labelled the lawsuit a reckless gamble, warning that bypassing the international ban could stimulate global demand, weaken law enforcement, and fuel illegal trafficking.
South Africa currently holds the world’s largest rhino population, making it a primary target for poachers feeding the black market in Asia, where the horn serves as a status symbol and traditional medicine.
