SLANG SAL JOU LAAT MANG – Cape Town woman fined R250 000 for keeping 145 reptiles

NewsSportLifestyleEntertainmentOpinionNews Western CapeSLANG SAL JOU LAAT MANG – Cape Town woman fined R250 000 for keeping 145 reptilesRasaad Adams|Published 21 hours agoCopy to ClipboardAsk AIGEVANG: The shop in Lower Main Road, Observatory, where 145 reptiles were unlawfully kept in captivity.

A KAAPSE vrou has been fined R250 000 after being convicted of unlawfully acquiring, possessing and keeping 145 reptiles in captivity.

Jacqueline Hewett, from Woodstock, was convicted on all six charges relating to the unlawful keeping of snakes, geckos and lizards, including protected, endangered, alien invasive and prohibited species.

According to CapeNature, the reptiles were kept at a shop on Lower Main Road, Observatory, and at her residence in Woodstock in March 2023.

On 22 October 2026, the Cape Town Regional Court sentenced Hewett to a fine of R250 000 or four years’ imprisonment.

She was also handed an additional two years’ imprisonment, wholly suspended for five years on condition that she is not found guilty of an offence relating to wild animals during the period of suspension.

The court further ordered that Hewett be disqualified for five years from obtaining any authorisation, licence or permit to acquire, possess or keep wild animals in captivity in the Western Cape.

CapeNature welcomed the conviction, commending the South African Police Service’s Kuils River Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and the National Prosecuting Authority for their role in securing the outcome.

CapeNature Acting Chief Executive Officer Mbulelo Jacobs said the conviction demonstrated the importance of coordinated investigations and prosecutions in holding biodiversity offenders accountable.

Jacobs said: “The unlawful trade and keeping of reptiles can deplete wild populations and introduce diseases and parasites to indigenous wildlife. Escaped or deliberately released alien reptiles may establish invasive populations, prey on indigenous species and compete for food and habitat.

“These risks threaten the Western Cape’s unique biodiversity, including its endemic and threatened reptiles and amphibians.”

Jacobs said the conviction sent a clear message that wildlife crime carried serious consequences.

He added: “Permit requirements are essential safeguards for our biodiversity, helping to regulate trade and prevent ecological harm. We commend the investigators and prosecutors whose work secured this outcome and urge the public to support our efforts to protect the Western Cape’s biodiversity.”

CapeNature urged members of the public to report suspected unlawful wildlife poaching, trade, possession and keeping in captivity to the police and relevant conservation authorities.

Anyone wishing to acquire, trade in, possess or keep wild animals in captivity must first obtain a valid CapeNature permit.

Prohibited species remain subject to the applicable legal prohibitions.

BREEDING: Reptile eggs among the items linked to the unlawful keeping of protected and prohibited species.