Gauteng pair granted bail for allegedly trying to sell lion's head for R350K in North West

• A Gauteng pair was granted bail in North West after attempting to sell a lion's head.
• The two were allegedly looking for a traditional healer in Zeerust, North West, to buy the head.
• They were each granted R1 500 bail by the Zeerust Magistrate's Court.

The Zeerust Magistrate's Court has granted bail to two suspects allegedly found in possession of a lion's head.

Joseph Modime, 59, and Emily Mashaba, 54, were each granted R1 500 bail on Monday.

National Prosecuting Authority's North West spokesperson Henry Mamothame said the pair were ordered to refrain from interacting with state witnesses.

"They were also warned to avail themselves (for) their next court appearance. Failure to do so would result in a warrant of arrest being issued against them," Mamothame said.

Modime and Mashaba were arrested earlier this month during a sting operation led by the Mahikeng Hawks, Leruhutshe K9 Unit, Zeerust Stock Theft Unit and officials from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.

The Hawks members were reacting to information they had received about two people trying to sell a lion's head for R350 000. 

READ| Experts worried about dwindling lion numbers in SA due to poaching, change of habitat

Modime and Mashaba, reportedly from Tembisa, Ekurhuleni, were allegedly looking for a traditional healer to buy the animal's head.

The pair was intercepted by a police agent who arranged a traditional healer, leading to the arrest of the two at a petrol station in Zeerust.

The lion's head was in the pair's possession, wrapped in plastic refuse bags.

The two were immediately arrested and charged with the contravention of the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004 (NEMBA).

Further investigations by the Hawks are under way to establish where and when the lion was killed and the whereabouts of the animal's other body parts.

Modime and Mashaba are expected back in court on 16 February 2022.

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