Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa remains "cautiously optimistic that we are turning the tide on the scourge of rhino poaching".

"The number of rhino poached last year was down to 1 028 from 1 054 the previous year," she said while delivering her budget vote speech on Wednesday.

"We attribute this decline to the multifaceted interventions that we are deploying. I would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to the many rangers that patrol our parks and look after our natural heritage for current and future generations."

She said these efforts would be further supported through the new programme with a budget of US$4.86-million (about R60-million) that has been approved by the Global Environment Facility.

"In addition, we have recently successfully translocated six black rhinos to the republic of Chad as part of our range expansion strategy. This translocation was achieved through a collaboration between the Department of Environmental Affairs, the government of Chad, SANParks and the African Parks Foundation."

She told the media at a briefing before the budget vote debate that these rhino were doing well in their new setting.