Sir
The lack of political will and justice when it comes to conservation in KwaZulu-Natal was again in evidence in the Ngwelezane Magistrates Court on Friday during an appearance by alleged poaching kingpin, Dumisane Gwala.
The case was again postponed – for the fourteenth time – to August 31. This after the legal representation for the two co-accused fell away for various reasons.
After the adjournment, the main accused, Gwala threatened Democratic Alliance members who were attending the trial. He then spat at a journalist who took a photo of him leaving the court, threatened her life and finally, bragged that he had bought his car from proceeds of the sale of horns.
There can be no place for such individuals in our society and it is extremely concerning that suspects are manipulating the system to the extent that justice is not being served.
Lack of prosecution merely serves as encouragement to those involved in the slaughter of our iconic animals. The DA challenges the NPA to escalate multi-million dollar poaching syndicates to a higher court so that justice can be served.
The survival of our animal species depends on it.
Ann McDonnell, MPL
DA KZN Spokesperson on ConservationÂ
