Just in: South Africa’s Most Feared Crime Boss Assassinated by

Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalungu, a suspected rhino poaching kingpin, has been killed in a shooting in Mkhuhlu.

Suspected rhino poaching syndicate mastermind Josep “Big Joe” Nyalungu has been killed.

Lowvelder understands that he was shot at his business near Mkhuhlu Crossroads earlier today, May 16.

Joseph “Big Joe” Nyalungu was one of the most feared and controversial alleged underworld figures linked to rhino poaching syndicates operating in and around the Kruger National Park.

For more than a decade, his name repeatedly surfaced in major organised wildlife crime investigations across Mpumalanga and Limpopo.

Nyalungu, a former South African Police Service (SAPS) member, was accused by authorities of evolving from law enforcement officer into an alleged kingpin in the illegal rhino horn trade.

Investigators believed he operated within sophisticated cross-border syndicates involved in poaching, trafficking and organised criminal activities stretching beyond wildlife crimes.

Over the years, he faced a long list of criminal allegations and court battles, including:

-Illegal hunting of protected rhinos
-Possession and trafficking of rhino horns
-Racketeering and conspiracy charges
-Money laundering
Tax evasion
-Illegal possession of firearms, ammunition and explosives
-Murder-related investigations.

Authorities also linked some of the explosives allegedly found in his possession to equipment commonly used in cash-in-transit robberies, adding to suspicions that his network may have intersected with broader organised crime structures.

Despite numerous arrests dating back to around 2011 and 2012, Nyalungu repeatedly secured bail in different matters. His continued release frustrated conservation groups and law enforcement officials who viewed him as a central figure in South Africa’s rhino poaching crisis.

Most recently, in October 2024, he was arrested again after police allegedly discovered dynamite, detonators and ammunition at his business premises in Mkhuhlu, Mpumalanga. He was later granted R20,000 bail while the matter remained before the courts.

His name became synonymous with the violent and highly lucrative rhino horn underworld operating near the Kruger National Park, where poaching syndicates have for years exploited poverty, corruption, porous borders and international demand for rhino horn products, particularly in Asian black markets.

Nyalungu survived an apparent assassination attempt on 8 May 2026 when gunmen ambushed him at his business premises at Mkhuhlu Crossroads.

He was shot in the shoulder and thigh but survived after receiving hospital treatment and was discharged the following morning.

Just over a week later, gunmen returned to the exact same location and fatally shot him outside his business premises.

Nyalungu’s death also again highlights the dangerous and often deadly intersection between wildlife trafficking, organised crime, corruption and violence in South Africa’s rhino poaching economy.

For years, law enforcement agencies, private investigators and conservation authorities regarded alleged syndicate bosses like Nyalungu as key facilitators in the industrial-scale poaching operations that devastated rhino populations across southern Africa. Yet despite repeated arrests and investigations, successful long-term convictions against high-level alleged kingpins have remained difficult to secure.

His assassination comes just over a week after he was shot and injured at the same premises.

This is a developing story. Lowvelder will update its readers as more information becomes available.