Overview
- Two gunmen in a white bakkie shot the man at his Mkhuhlu business, and paramedics declared him dead at the scene.
- Police opened a murder case, launched a manhunt for the pair, and asked anyone with information to come forward.
- Investigators have not established a motive and are assessing similarities to a nonfatal shooting at the same premises a week earlier.
- The victim was identified as Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalungu, 62, who had faced rhino‑poaching related charges in Mpumalanga and Limpopo for more than 15 years.
- He was arrested at the site in October 2024 after police reported finding explosives and ammunition and was later released on R20,000 bail, a pending case that conservation advocates now cite as proof prosecutions move too slowly.