The claim made by an Chinese businessman and self-confessed rhino poacher that he was a friend of South African State Security Minister, David Mahlobo, did not necessarily mean the latter was also involved in rhino poaching, the African National Congress (ANC) in Mpumalanga said on Thursday.
“Whether they are friends or not, we don’t know… but you cannot jump to conclusion that Mahlobo is also a rhino poacher,” said provincial party secretary Mandla Ndlovu.
“I have been following these allegations through the media and on social media. I still do not know what Mahlobo has done which is wrong. We are waiting for the investigation to continue and reveal the truth.”
A documentary aired on Al Jazeera at the weekend showed businessman Guan Jiang Guang, who reportedly traffics rhino horns, saying he knew Mahlobo and that he was a friend of Mahlobo.
Guang, who is the owner of a massage parlour in Mbombela in Mpumalanga, also revealed a photograph on his cellphone which purportedly showed him and Mahlobo sitting together. He said Mahlobo had been a guest at his home and regular visitor to his parlour.
Mahlobo has denied the claims that he was friends with Guang and has asked the police to investigate the rhino poaching allegations.
National spokesman for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, told the African News Agency (ANA) on Monday that an enquiry into the matter was underway.
“The minister has asked the Mpumalanga police commissioner [Lieutenant-General Bethuel Zuma] to investigate the matter, and that is what we are doing,” said Mulaudzi.
“We call the investigation an enquiry and I can’t give you all the details of it. We just need to get a statement from the minister and we will take the docket to the NPA [National Prosecuting Authority] for a decision on whether to prosecute or not.”
Mahlobo’s spokesman Brian Dube said: “There is no comment on our side but we must give a space to those who are investigating the matter.”
South Africa Today – South Africa News
