Re: Corruption In Kruger - New Study
Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:37 am
This report has really taken off. An additional article by Epoch contains new comments:
In March 2020, Hawks agent Colonel Leroy Bruwer was killed when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle as he traveled between the towns of Mbombela and Lydenburg, near the reserve.
Bruwer was the lead investigator in several cases of rhino poaching.
In July last year, assassins shot dead ranger Anton Mzimba as he arrived home from work.
Bruwer’s and Mzimba’s funerals were muted affairs, attended only by relatives, close friends, and a few colleagues. But not so the funeral of alleged poaching syndicate mastermind Petros “Mister Big” Mabuza, considered a hero by many in the communities surrounding Kruger Park.
Fear of Being Killed
Mabuza, often seen in the company of groups of Chinese men in casinos around South Africa, was shot dead in an apparent hit in 2021 as he parked his luxury sedan at a shopping mall in the town of Hazyview, also near the reserve.
His funeral was described as “bling” by a local newspaper, his coffin arriving by helicopter and draped in a leopard skin.
In his report, Rademeyer describes police stations in towns surrounding the Kruger as follows: “They are deeply in the pockets of organized crime groups involved in poaching, cash-in-transit heists, car and truck hijackings, armed robberies, ATM bombings, and illegal gold mining.
“Thus, they offer little meaningful protection. Sometimes they even serve as escorts for contraband.
“The more honest police and those who feel a sense of dedication to their communities have little option but to turn a blind eye to the activities of their colleagues for fear of being killed.”
According to police statistics, the murder rate in Mpumalanga province—in which most of the park is located—has spiked by 42 percent over the past decade.
Mpumalanga investigative journalist Sizwe Sama Yende told The Epoch Times the region has been “crippled” by “successive ANC administrations containing corrupt actors.”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-s ... 6ti6hHxJ_o
In March 2020, Hawks agent Colonel Leroy Bruwer was killed when gunmen opened fire on his vehicle as he traveled between the towns of Mbombela and Lydenburg, near the reserve.
Bruwer was the lead investigator in several cases of rhino poaching.
In July last year, assassins shot dead ranger Anton Mzimba as he arrived home from work.
Bruwer’s and Mzimba’s funerals were muted affairs, attended only by relatives, close friends, and a few colleagues. But not so the funeral of alleged poaching syndicate mastermind Petros “Mister Big” Mabuza, considered a hero by many in the communities surrounding Kruger Park.
Fear of Being Killed
Mabuza, often seen in the company of groups of Chinese men in casinos around South Africa, was shot dead in an apparent hit in 2021 as he parked his luxury sedan at a shopping mall in the town of Hazyview, also near the reserve.
His funeral was described as “bling” by a local newspaper, his coffin arriving by helicopter and draped in a leopard skin.
In his report, Rademeyer describes police stations in towns surrounding the Kruger as follows: “They are deeply in the pockets of organized crime groups involved in poaching, cash-in-transit heists, car and truck hijackings, armed robberies, ATM bombings, and illegal gold mining.
“Thus, they offer little meaningful protection. Sometimes they even serve as escorts for contraband.
“The more honest police and those who feel a sense of dedication to their communities have little option but to turn a blind eye to the activities of their colleagues for fear of being killed.”
According to police statistics, the murder rate in Mpumalanga province—in which most of the park is located—has spiked by 42 percent over the past decade.
Mpumalanga investigative journalist Sizwe Sama Yende told The Epoch Times the region has been “crippled” by “successive ANC administrations containing corrupt actors.”
https://www.theepochtimes.com/chinese-s ... 6ti6hHxJ_o
