Mahlobo’s rhino poacher ‘mate’

[Richprins]

Where in the world is Mahlobo's alleged criminal friend Guan Jiang Guang?
2016-11-17 11:57

Lizeka Tandwa, News24


Mbombela - It is as if he vanished into thin air, friends and neighbours of self-professed criminal and alleged friend of State Security Minister David Mahlobo, Guan Jiang Guang, say.

Guang's spa in Mbombela, which was frequented by Mahlobo, remains closed this week, while he and his family apparently packed up and left their home before an Al Jazeera documentary, showing him talking about his relationship with Mahlobo, aired.

Some community members who have visited the spa in the past said they never suspected Guan would be involved in illegal activity.

"He is a nice guy. I call him my friend. It was a shock to me. It was like I had woken up in a different world. I still can't believe he is capable of all the things he admitted to on camera," said the owner of restaurant near Guang's Jin Lu beauty spa.

The restaurant owner, who refused to disclose his name to News24, said Guang's wife came to him shortly after the Al Jazeera broadcast crying.

"She was upset. She was crying. I know them and they are good people. That is all I can tell you."

Neighbour not surprised

READ: More pictures of Mahlobo with massage therapist surface

The beauty spa has been closed since Monday, people in neighbouring shops told News24.

According to an employee at a beauty spa several shops away, the Guang family shut their doors in haste.

"We just saw them on Monday locking the shop gates. It was the owner and his son. We haven't seen anyone ever since," she said.

She told News24 she was not surprised to hear the news of Guang's alleged illegal activity.

"I can't say I have seen the minister coming to the shop. I just didn't understand why a beauty spa opens until late. They close after 22:00. It's not common for these shops in the area. They had a lot of business and we now know why."

Guang's home in a gated complex is not too far from his shop at SonPark shopping complex.

Country reeling

A security guard at the complex said he had not seen the family since Sunday.

"It’s like they have disappeared into thin air. I haven't seen them in days."

Another homeowner at the gated complex said he saw the Guan and his wife packing on Saturday.

"I didn't think anything of it. I just saw the couple packing bags into a van. Its only after I read the Sunday papers that I put two and two together," the neighbour said.

As the news of an alleged link between Mahlobo and Guang has the country reeling, some Mbombela residents said this was merely a small glimpse of alleged poaching activities in the town.

Sindi Mlambo said she was puzzled by the sudden interest in Mbombela.

"There are several people who are poachers. This guy is not the only one in these parts. I know at least three people who are making money through rhino poaching but are disguised as business owners," she claimed.

Tumisho Ndolwane claimed he was once a manager at a small restaurant in Mbombela and was fired after he started asking questions.

"I knew there was something fishy... It's big business. This guy is just the tip of the iceberg. I don't care about him because he is small fish."


http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... g-20161117

[Richprins]

Cape Town – Days after claiming to know student leader Mcebo Dlamini "very well", State Security Minister David Mahlobo has done an about-turn on the extent of their relationship.

Mahlobo was answering questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday when he was asked to clarify his relationship with Dlamini.

This follows reports in the Mail & Guardian that Mahlobo had said the student leader had been to his house a number of times.

Mahlobo made the comments while speaking at a panel discussion hosted by the Institute of Security Studies on Monday, November 14.

In a video of the event, posted on November 14 by a Daily Vox journalist, Mahlobo says he is not responsible for Dlamini's arrest.

He was arrested by the police, he said.

"But I happen to know Mcebo, he has been to my house several times," he said, before calling for the country to let the courts deal with the matter.

Security threat

But on Wednesday, the minister said newspaper reports should not be quoted as facts.

"Mcebo Dlamini has never been to my house. That meeting never took place," the minister said on Wednesday, before cautioning against an "agenda by some MPs who took joy" in the students’ struggles.

It was not a great day in Parliament for Mahlobo, who was told by MPs that he needed to take a leave of absence until the cloud hanging over his head was dealt with.

The minister was told he was a threat to the security of the country, while some MPs poked fun at his massage parlour visits.

One MP said Mahlobo was working hard for his "massage parlour slush funding, I hope you have a happy ending".

He was also told he seemed to be an expert at massaging answers and another MP said they hoped he would go to a massage parlour after the hard work session on Wednesday.



http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/ ... r-20161117

[Richprins]

PS, he has now said his wife had no business dealings with Guang, and the picture of him and guang was taken while he was having a manicure..at Guang's request!

[H. erectus]

Oh for goodness sake please can we concoct some
.....................................................

[H. erectus]

Shocking to realize that such mentality can rise to these higher
planes, without question!!??, in fact how does such a fat bastard
manage these higher planes, wings I doubt it, stepladders questionable
but there is way,..."Bring that level of understanding down too ones
own level of understanding"" and all will be great,..!!!!

[Richprins]

Rhino horn trafficker’s salon used for human trafficking

Elize Parker

The Mbombela nail salon and spa of the rhino horn trafficker Jianguang Guan who called David Mahlobo his “friend”, was investigated by the Hawks as a brothel that served as a centre for human trafficking.
15 hours ago


MBOMBELA – It was business as usual tonight at the Jin Lu Chinese Beauty and Massage Salon in Sonpark even though the salon’s windows were covered with newspapers and sign that said “Decorating.”

When Lowvelder knocked on the door it was opened by a nail therapist. There were two customers sitting at the nail-therapy tables and two more therapists doing gel applications.

Mr Hangwane Mulaudzi, spokesman for the Hawks, confirmed to Lowvelder tonight that the Hawks had uncovered after a thorough investigation that this nail-and-massage salon is a front for a brothel from where human trafficking in the area is driven.
The Jin Lu Salon doing business as usual behind covered windows.

The salon became infamous after a Chinese rhino-horn trafficker, Mr Jianguang Guan, who has been in South Africa for 10 years, confessed during an Al Jazeera documentary, The Poachers’ Pipeline, that he is a rhino-horn trafficker.

He also alleged that the minister of state security, Mr David Mahlobo, a former Mpumalanga politician, was a friend of his.

Mahlobo confirmed that he had visited the salon on occasion, but denied that he was friends with the salon owner even though Guan bragged with pictures of them together in the salon on screen.

Also with Mahlobo on various photographs was one of the nail therapists at the salon, Ms Chelsea Wei.She has recently forwarded a gift of a Chinese tea set to a former client in Mbombela – posted all the way from Beijing.


During December the salon was raided by Home Affairs and the nail therapists were allegedly deported to China because their work permits were not in order. They had apparently been registered as wood carvers.
Lowvelder tried to confirm this with the local area manager of Home Affairs today, but was given no answers.
Mulaudzi said Guan is nowhere to be found in South Africa, but there was no sign of him skipping the country with his passport.
Home affairs closed down the Jin Lu Salon of Jianguang Guan in Mbombela on November 24.

Home Affairs closed down the Jin Lu Salon of Jianguang Guan in Mbombela on November 24.

“We are very angry and disappointed with Al Jazeera,” said Mulaudzi. He explained that when they had heard a documentary was on the cards they asked the channel not to go ahead as they were far into their investigations with Guan and rhino-horn poaching. “The programme impacted our investigation very badly. They were just selling a product while we were dealing with serious criminals.”

Guan is also believed to have owned the Shuang Xi Sushi Restaurant in Sonpark which was quite busy tonight with the sushi chef slicing away.

Mulaudzi said earlier reports that the Hawks was seeking advice from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to go ahead with an inquiry into Mahlobo’s alleged involvement in poaching was simply not true. “No docket was opened because there is no element of crime.”

Mr Luvuyo Mfako of the NPA confirmed that they had not received a docket from the Hawks on the minister. “The NPA is not involved,” he said.

Mulaudzi confirmed that the minister is going ahead with laying charges of libel and defamation against Al Jazeera.

Owner of the Sonpark Business Complex, Mr Kobus Jacobs, told the newspaper earlier today that he had signed a new lease from February onwards with a woman, who used to work close to Guan in all his businesses, for both the sushi restaurant and salon premises.

The salon manager is a South African citizen of Chinese descent. She is not married to Guan and has a different surname.

“They pay regularly,” Jacobs said.

The other salon branch at Khayalami Boutique Hotel was closed, according to the hotel spokesman.

http://lowvelder.co.za/369815/rhino-hor ... afficking/

[Richprins]

Hawks’ doublespeak on horn-trafficker’s salon
The Jin Lu Chinese Beauty and Massage Salon in Mbombela has been identified by the Hawks as a brothel and a front for human trafficking but it is back to business for the salon even after four manicurists have been deported by Home Affairs.
7 hours ago

Elize Parker

MBOMBELA – The Hawks in Mpumalanga appears to be unaware that its colleagues at head office consider the Chinese-owned nail salon at Sonpark to be a brothel fronting as a centre for human trafficking.

National Haws spokesman, Brig Hangwane Mulaudzi told Lowvelder on Thursday that, after a thorough investigation, they had uncovered that Jin Lu Chinese Massage and Beauty Salon was a front for a brothel from where human trafficking in the area is driven.


It belonged to self-professed rhino poacher, Mr Jianguang Guan who has claimed close links with state security minister, Mr David Mahlobo in the past.

Yet Hawks investigating officer for human trafficking in Mpumalanga, Mr David Mdaka, knew nothing about the alleged brothel. “I have not been working on that case,” said Mdaka.

Despite Mulaudzi’s claims that the salon is closed, it is still operational. The salon in the Khayalami Boutique Hotel (of which the Hawks make no mention) is closed according to a hotel spokesman. Mulaudzi also claimed last week that the Hawks was not investigating a case against Mahlobo as there was no criminal evidence against him.


The DA disagreed, arguing that the Independent Police Investigative Directorate should investigate the Hawks’ failure to probe the minister’s alleged links to Guan.

DA chief whip in parliament, Mr John Steenhuizen, told Lowvelder, “We will be putting in a request to them to do just that. This is a despicable state of double standards. It shows that when it comes to investigations into criminal activities there are two different laws. One for those close to Zuma and one for the rest of us.

“This is a cover-up to protect Mahlobo. Far more was done at that salon than mani’s and pedi’s. The fact that Guan was allowed to disappear, is extremely worrying. He slipped through the net. What is also worrying, is that the exact people the Minister should have avoided, criminal syndicates, he was fraternising with.”

Mr Thabo Mokgala, spokesman for home affairs, confirmed that the department’s raid on the Sonpark salon on November 24, 2016 showed that four of the manicurists and masseuses were in the country illegally. They were registered as “wood carvers” on their working visas.

“They were then issued a 30-day notification. We detained them at the Nglandela Detention Centre in Krugersdorp before we deported them.”

He added that, if in the normal course of work, inspectors found other new employees were in the salon illegally, they would also be deported.

Lowvelder forwarded a copy of Guan’s passport to home affairs, but Mokgala could not confirm if he had left the country using it. At present the salon still seemed to be closed, according to the Hawks’ spokesman, but Lowvelder found it was business as usual just behind glass doors which had been covered up.

With this visit there were three manicurists working on two customers appluing gel nails. Two other staff members employed to do decorating at the salon, agreed that massages can be booked as well and were eager to assist in arranging these.

The landlord, Mr Kobus Jacobs, said there is a new lease in place with a former manager of the salon, a South African citizen of Chinese descent, who also runs the sushi restaurant in the same complex. She was closely associated with Guan as a business partner and they were regualry seen together in Mbombela.

Mr Brian Dube, spokesman for Mahlobo, said the minister had laid a complaint about Guan’s allegations of his close links with him, with the provincial police.

“He said to them: I want you to investigate this,” said Dube. He confirmed that the request has been referred to the Hawks national office.

“We will give all our assistance in this inquiry,” Dube confirmed. He added the minister had not done anything criminal that merits an investigation.

Any comments, hints or information please mail elize@lowvelder.co.za

Elize is not going to let go of this!


http://lowvelder.co.za/370317/hawks-dou ... ers-salon/

[Richprins]

DA calls for an investigation into links between Mahlobo, rhino horn trafficker

Self-confessed criminal Guan Jiang Guang last year said he was an associate of the State Security Minister David Mahlobo.

Koketšo Motau | 5 days ago

JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it is dismayed to learn that the Hawks have failed to launch an investigation into the relationship between State Security Minister David Mahlobo and what they call self-confessed criminal Guan Jiang Guang.

Mahlobo’s alleged association with Guan was exposed in a documentary on rhino poaching by Al Jazeera in November last year.

In the documentary, the Chinese national admits he’s a rhino horn trafficker.

He boasts about having Minister Mahlobo as an associate and displays a photograph of himself with the minister.

DA’s chief whip John Steenhuisen says the link between the two is obvious and the Hawks’s failure to investigate the matter, expose it to be selective on investigations and prosecutions.

“We kind of have a situation where some people, because of a position they hold, believe that they are above the law and are not subjected to the same laws of the Republic of South Africa as every other citizen. It is precisely why the Hawks need to immediately start an investigation into Mahlobo’s link to Guan and rhino poaching.”

http://ewn.co.za/2017/01/22/da-calls-fo ... trafficker

[Richprins]

Mahlobo was made Minister of Eskom yesterday...one cannot make this stuff up!

[H. erectus]

This is not a laughable matter,..country in dire straits
in between all this K=k we still try fight for Kruger!!!

Good grief, do you ever think,can you ever imagine
KNP being within the first top ten priorities on .gov's
mandate,....