Bronkhorst was arrested on Monday but charges against him are yet to be clarified, Dube said in a telephone interview from Bulawayo.
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They were charged with the illegal capture and translocation of wildlife, and attempting to export the antelopes illegally, said Washaya-Moyo. “They were on their way last night”, she added.
Conservation group the Bhejane Trust confirmed the sable were found in three 4×4 trucks that were trying to illegally cross the South African border near Beitbridge at the weekend.
The men have reportedly been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle sable antelope across the border.
Hendricks Johannes Blignaut (41) and John Herbert Pretorias (49) were transporting the sables in two trucks.
A friend of Bronkhorst’s claimed the animals had come from Zambia and that the hunter had only helped the South Africans secure an import permit into Zimbabwe.
Bronkhorst is scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday for the animal smuggling.
Bronchorst, who works for Bushman Safaris, is accused of having facilitated an illegal bow hunt during which Cecil the lion was lured out of Hwange Game Park and killed by American hunter Walter Palmer in a neighbouring conservancy on July 1. Palmer was a focus of global hatred when outrage over the 13-year-old lion’s killing was at its peak at the beginning of August.
Sables are prized for their rarity and long horns, according to Peter Oberem, president of Wildlife Ranching South Africa.
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Bronkhorst was on a $1,000 bail pending his trial on September 28 on charges of organising an illegal hunt which led to the lion’s death. They were intercepted in a joint sting by Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and police.
