[imagesource: Facebook / Pro Hunt Africa]
55-year-old Riaan Naude, who headed up the trophy hunting company Pro Hunt Africa, was found dead next to his vehicle in Marken Road, Limpopo, last month.
It’s believed the hunter’s car had overheated and he was pulled over on the side of the road.
An unconfirmed report from non-profit crime-fighting organisation the Heritage Protection Group (HPG) claimed Naude was shot dead by men who arrived in a white bakkie.
An account of the murder was posted to the HPG Facebook page on June 8:
The deceased’s bakkie has overheated and he moved off the road to throw water in. According to eyewitnesses, a white truck stopped next to him and shot him cold-blooded at a short distance, after which the two suspects climbed out and probably just robbed his gun.
They then jumped into the vehicle and raced towards Marken. Tracks were trampled on the scene. All the personal belongings were still in the vehicle, weapons, ammunition, assault and hag equipment and clothes were left just like that.
Pro Hunt Africa has long drawn the ire of anti-hunting campaigners and social media users. The last post on Instagram, dated October 2018, has in excess of 1 000 comments celebrating his death:
View this post on Instagram
The New York Post reports that law enforcement has confirmed some details of the murder:
Cops confirmed that Naude — who frequently shared images of himself with animals that he killed while hunting — was shot dead, reports said.
Police Lt. Col. Mamphaswa Seabi said cops found Naude’s dead body “lying with his face up” with “blood on his head and face”…
“The motive for the attack and the subsequent murder is unknown at this stage,” he said.
Pro Hunt Africa’s website lists animals with a hunting price attached. Some examples include:
- Sable | $2 000
- Kudu | $1 500
- Giraffe | $1 500
- Waterbuck | $1 000
- Zebra (Burchell’s) | $1 000
- Crocodile | $2 500
- Eland | $2 200
Big Five animals are listed as “price on request”.
The company’s Facebook page, which appears to have been run by Riaan, last posted on June 1, showing multiple photos of hunted animals.
Much like that Instagram post above, the comments are not kind:
It’s unclear whether any headway has been made into the investigation to catch the suspects.
