Two pangolins rescued from BMW boot at Waterfall Mall

Platinum Weekly newspaper | Rustenburg – Two live pangolins were rescued from the boot of a white BMW at Waterfall Mall on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. Police arrested four suspects, aged 38 to 51, after intercepting the car in the mall’s parking lot.

Police spokesperson sergeant Kelebogile Morake said the operation followed a tip-off to Crime Intelligence in Ivory Park. Police received information that the two female pangolins were allegedly being offered to potential buyers for about R500,000 each.

A joint team involving police units from Ivory Park and the North West, including Phokeng K9 and the Rustenburg Tactical Response Team, worked with Safeguard Risk Services to intercept the BMW as it entered the parking lot. Police said the car had false registration plates and was seized for further investigation.

Officials from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment took the pangolins into their care. Police are investigating possible links to a wider wildlife trafficking network.

The four suspects were due to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 6 November, on charges of unlawful possession of endangered species.

North West provincial police commissioner lieutenant general Arthur Peter Adams commended the teams for working together to rescue the pangolins.