Court gives go-ahead for rhino horn auction

The Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) has given the go-ahead for an online auction of rhino horns that has outraged conservationists, notes a report in The Citizen. SA authorities had moved to ban the three-day auction which they feared would undermine the global ban on rhino trade, refusing to issue a permit. But the High Court ruled in favour of the auction’s South African organiser John Hume, who runs the world’s biggest rhino farm. The department was ordered to hand over a rhino horn sale permit to Hume. ‘We lost the case. We have to hand over the permit that was issued,’ Environment Ministry spokesperson Moses Rannditsheni is quoted in the report as saying. A Beeld report notes that the urgent application was heard on a Sunday after the department was afforded an opportunity to respond. Jaap Cilliers SC, on behalf of Hume, told the court that Hume was assured in writing that the permit was issued, but officials refused to hand it over. Judge Neil Tuchten asked Soraya Hassim, counsel for the department, whether Minister Edna Molewa is ‘hiding something’ as Hassim had to concede that the Minister provided no reason why the issued permit was not handed over. Hassim argued that the permit was issued unlawfully as only Molewa has the power to sign it.