Trial of Alleged Rhino Kingpin in South Africa is Postponed
The trial of alleged rhino kingpin, Dumisani Gwala, which was due to start in KwaZulu-Natal today, has been postponed to 19 September 2016. Wildlife advocate and founder of Saving the Wild, Jamie Joseph, has campaigned tirelessly for the world to take note of this important court case and ensure justice is done in the fight against […]
The trial of alleged rhino kingpin, Dumisani Gwala, which was due to start in KwaZulu-Natal today, has been postponed to 19 September 2016.
Wildlife advocate and founder of Saving the Wild, Jamie Joseph, has campaigned tirelessly for the world to take note of this important court case and ensure justice is done in the fight against devastating rhino poaching in South Africa.
Jamie believes the court system is “broken” and corrupt, and leans heavily “on the side of the few dirty apples that are causing the rot”. She has enlisted the support of outgoing public protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, to investigate possible corruption in the anti-rhino legal arena.
Last week Jamie revealed she had reason to believe an operation that could have seen the arrest of Gwala was “shut down”, and voiced concerns about today’s trial and that “him and his defense are going to do everything in their power to try get off, and we mustn’t let this happen”.
After the postponement today, Jamie reported from Ngwelezane (Empangeni): “Gwala showed up with a new lawyer and a new bunch of tricks. Trial postponed to 19 September.”
An official statement will follow later today – UPDATE: Alleged Poaching Kingpin’s Trial Delayed because “Attorney Dropped Phone”
Whilst the government claims that poaching figures are down, the country is undoubtedly in the midst of a crisis.
An average of at least two or three rhino are poached per day. For instance – police have launched a manhunt for five suspects wanted in connection with the shooting of two white rhino on a Rooiberg farm, Limpopo, on Saturday. Both horns were removed from one rhino which was killed, whilst the other survived with its horns in tact but had to be put down.
Environmental Minister Edna Molewa was due to present a media briefing tomorrow outlining the progress in the fight against rhino poaching… but this has been postponed “until further notice”.
In the meantime, Jamie urges Global Citizens to make a noise and South Africans to attend the trial on 19 September.
“Right now, every human voice and every human body is the difference between #Corruption and #justice,” she says.
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