Warning: graphic images
In October 2017, Saving the Wild exposed the “Blood Rhino Blacklist” – an alleged syndicate of corrupt judges, magistrates, prosecutors and defence attorneys who have for many years been taking bribes from those implicated in rhino poaching, human trafficking and other heinous crimes.
Picture: Steve Woods
One year later, on 5 October 2018, South Africa’s Ministry of Justice suspended the KwaZulu-Natal Court President Eric Nzimande due to alleged rampant corruption in his courts and alleged sexual harassment. While on suspension for the last four years, Nzimande has received his full salary of roughly R1.4 million annually, but to date, not one justice official implicated in the investigation has been arrested, nor has anyone gone through a disciplinary hearing.
‘Both the Magistrates Commission and the National Prosecuting Authority have used every trick in the book to delay prosecution of these corrupt justice officials, while the Ministry of Justice claim they cannot interfere. It is an amazing disgrace,’ says Jamie Joseph, Saving the Wild Director.
‘We call on the President of South Africa to acknowledge these atrocities and bring sanctity back to the courts. The government states that rhino poaching is a high-priority crime – then why is there no minimum sentence for rhino poaching?’
Towards the end of last year, Joseph met with senior officials at US Treasury in Washington DC to seek US sanctions and present preliminary evidence. On May 31, Saving the Wild’s Washington DC-based partner, Environmental Investigation Agency, submitted the formal Global Magnitsky sanctions recommendation package to the US Department of Treasury and State. This is now in process and targets specific individuals as opposed to an entire country.
Picture: Brent Stirton
Crimes against humanity and rhinos on the brink of extinction have led to the urgent need for international intervention, with bribery in the courts fuelling the crisis. The campaign is asking that President Ramaphosa urgently bring accountability and no further delays in the prosecution of all implicated justice officials.
Says Former Public Protector Professor Thuli Madonsela: ‘These corrupt justice officials state capture perpetrators that have substituted themselves for the democratic process. This is the undermining of democracy by hijacking the state. These are crimes against humanity and theft of our natural heritage.’
Picture: C-James-Lewin
On World Rhino Day on 22 September, Saving the Wild, in partnership with the Djimon Hounsou foundation, make an urgent plea for South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, to:
- Acknowledge the serious allegations of bribery against suspended Kwazulu-Natal court president Eric Nzimande, who has been receiving his full salary of around 1.4 million Zar annually since his suspension on 5 October 2018, and four years on has still not gone through a disciplinary hearing
- Enforce accountability of all implicated justice officials who made payments into Nzimande’s bank account, and are under investigation by the magistrate’s commission and the police. The police are unable to make arrests until the Kwazulu-Natal director of public prosecutions, Elaine Zungu, signs off on the charge sheet
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