Bulawayo News 24
By Simbarashe Sithole
1st September 2018
MDC Senator David Coltart has sensationally claimed that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government is exporting rhinos from Matopos to DRC. In a twitter post Coltart said
“I’ve just been told that the Mnangagwa government has started exporting #Rhinos from the #Matopos to #DRC. If true this is a national outrage and must be stopped immediately. Aside from anything else this is a highly endangered group of Rhinos with a pitifully small gene pool.”
If these allegations are true it remains to be seen if the purported export is in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora commonly referred to as the CITES regulations which control the international trade in various endangered species which requires licences, authorisations and permits.
In this regard, the competent authority issues permits, certificates or licences for the import, export or re-export of the species in question.