Poachers busted with abalone and crayfish

A ZIMBABWEAN man is set to appear in Bellville Magistrate’s Court for allegedly smokkeling perlemoen. 

The 30-year-old Zimbabwean national was arrested for being in possession of abalone without a permit on Tuesday, 16 December 2025.

According to police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg members of Operation Shanela II were conducting crime prevention duties on the R300 in Delft, when they noticed a white Ford Ranger light delivery vehicle driving past them. 

Twigg said: “The members acted on their instinct and stopped the vehicle and searched it. They discovered 1010 units abalone in the vehicle.”

In an unrelated matter, cops busted a group of men with a vrag crayfish tails without a permit.

Members of Malmesbury SAPS were conducting patrols on the N7, on Tuesday night, when they noticed a black Opel Corsa light delivery vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road. 

The members chased after the vehicle and upon searching it, they found a large quantity of crayfish tails inside the vehicle. 

Three adult males were arrested for the possession of crayfish without a permit.

Twigg confirmed that the trio will appear in the Malmesbury Magistrate’s Court once they have been charged.