Minister must 'come clean' on rhino poaching allegations
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) has urged State Security Minister David Mahlobo to "come clean" about his alleged links to known illegal rhino horn traders.
"About 702 rhino have been poached between January and October this year. With these ever-increasing numbers, it has created a negative impact on our much-needed tourism industry and further continues to undermine government's commitment and efforts to fight poaching," Popcru said in a statement on Sunday.
With the mandate of the State Security Agency (SSA) being to provide government with intelligence on domestic and foreign threats or potential threats to national stability, among others, and government now treating rhino poaching as a threat to national security, Popcru believed Mahlobo's alleged association with illegal rhino horn traders undermined the integrity of the very department he headed, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) affiliate said.
"As a person afforded the responsibility to control South Africa's intelligence, which includes monitoring organised crime, these allegations are a huge blow to his standing in society as we all know that organised crime can only flourish under a corrupt environment.
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"If those responsible for investigating such crimes befriend those committing them, the populace's trust… [in] government institutions are bound to decline. We urge the minister of the SSA to come clean on this matter and call for an urgent investigation into the claims made," Popcru said.
Earlier on Sunday, Mahlobo was reported to have close ties to an alleged Chinese organised crime figure and rhino horn trafficker living in South Africa, who had openly bragged about bribing South African justice and immigration officials.
The reports said Guan Jiang Guang, who owns a massage parlour in Mbombela in Mpumalanga, had revealed photographs of himself and Mahlobo on his cellphone. Guan reportedly said he knew Mahlobo well, and Mahlobo had been a guest at his home. He added that Mahlobo was a regular visitor to his massage parlour. Mahlobo has reportedly denied the claims.