David Mahlobo must explain rhino horn smuggling exposé, says police union
The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) on Sunday said State Security Minister David Mahlobo’s suspected links to a known rhino horn smuggler represented a blow to his standing and this would further undermine trust in government institutions. The union urged Mahlobo to "come clean" and called for an urgent investigation into the claims. The claims emerged in an Al Jazeera Investigates documentary, which aired on Sunday afternoon. In it, Chinese underworld figure Guan Jiang Guang, who owns a massage parlour in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, shows off pictures on his cellphone, some of which appear to be those of him with Mahlobo, according to a report in City Press. Brian Dube, Mahlobo’s spokesman, denied that the minister had any links to Guan Jiang Guang. Popcru said about 702 rhinos have been poached between January and October 2016. "With these ever-increasing numbers, it (poaching) has created a negative impact on our much-needed tourism industry and continues to undermine th...
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