DA wants Ipid to probe Hawks over minister

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) should investigate the Hawks’ failure to probe State Security Minister David Mahlobo’s alleged links to an alleged rhino poacher, the DA said. DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said the party was dismayed to learn that the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) had failed to launch an investigation into the relationship between Mahlobo and self confessed criminal Guan Jiang Guang. “We will now report this inexplicable failure to act to Ipid for further investigation‚” he said. Steenhuisen said Mahlobo’s association with Guang was exposed in a documentary on rhino poaching aired by the Al Jazeera news channel on November 13, as well as additional reporting by South African news media. “However‚ Hawks spokesperson Brigadier Hangweni Mulaudzi was quoted on January 19 as saying that the DPCI has not even opened an investigation into the matter,” he said.

“Furthermore‚ Mulaudzi is quoted as saying that Guang is now at large and believed to have fled the country. “Remarkably‚ the Hawks have seemingly found the time to investigate Guang’s ‘massage parlour’ in Mbombela‚ where he and Mahlobo became acquainted‚ at least sufficiently to have determined that it was likely used as a brothel.” It defied belief that the Hawks did not see it fit to investigate allegations of corruption at the highest level of government‚ Steenhuisen said. “On November 14, the DA called on President Jacob Zuma to place Mahlobo on special leave pending a full and proper investigation‚ specifically to avoid manipulation of this crucial investigation,” he said. “Our call went unheeded and it will now be up to Ipid to determine why the Hawks have failed to investigate Guang’s alleged association with Mahlobo and his wife. “We can no longer allow our intelligence services to be mired in endless controversy.”