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President Cyril Ramaphosa
- The Presidency denied that President Cyril Ramaphosa had any involvement in a trophy hunting venture.
- This follows a statement and a video from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) showing an elephant being shot point-blank, allegedly by a company linked to its animal slaughter program to manage wildlife numbers.
- PETA claimed that Ramaphosa had a 50% stake in the safari company that organized the elephant hunt through another company.
The presidency denied that President Cyril Ramaphosa has a stake in a trophy hunting venture following a claim published by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
PETA alleged that Ramaphosa had a 50% stake in Tsala Hunting Safaris, which organized the elephant hunt through Wayne Wagner Safaris.
Ramaphosa was claimed to be “quietly developing and expanding a trophy hunting property called Diepdrift – stocking it with animals from his own wildlife husbandry operation, Phala Phala – and owning a 50% stake in Tsala Hunting Safaris.”
“In other words, far from ‘conserving’ wildlife, wild animals are specifically bred to be slaughtered for trophies. PETA recorded conversations in which Ramaphosa managers admitted that he equally shares the profits from all hunts conducted through Tsala and they talked about the importance of hiding their involvement, “he said.
“President Ramaphosa’s Tsala Hunting Safaris routinely organizes elephant hunts through Wayne Wagner Safaris on Greater Kruger Conservancy properties.”
A statement from the Presidency said: “The accusations are evidently false and completely refuted.”
Comments were not immediately available from Tsala Hunting Safaris, and Wayne Wagner declined the opportunity to comment on PETA linking the company to Tsala Hunting Safaris.
In the video PETA posted, an elephant is seen bending its knees after a gunshot sounds in the bush. The claim is that the elephant may have moved away from the Kruger National Park.
Hunting guides instruct the shooter to adjust the level of the rifle and more shots are fired after the elephant sinks to its knees.
An anonymous source claimed that Ramaphosa is keeping his stake in the company secret to avoid bad publicity.
The presidency said that Ramaphosa owned Phala Phala Wildlife, which specializes in raising rare game animals, but neither Ramaphosa nor Phala Phala have any involvement in the industry or Tsala Hunting Safaris.
He added that Phala Phala performed annual culls of game animals such as impala, buffalo, kudu and wildebeest to avoid carrying excessive numbers, part of an established wildlife management tool.
Phala Phala had made an agreement with Tsala Hunting Safaris to hunt the game “which in any case would have been euthanized.”
However, in light of allegations that Tsala hunts threatened or protected species on other properties, Phala Phala has notified Tsala Safaris to terminate the hunting agreement with her.
“This decision is in line with Phala Phala’s commitment to sound conservation principles and its demonstrable adherence to legal and ethical wildlife management standards.”
The Presidency said PETA had previously made false accusations about Ramaphosa’s interest in pigeon racing since he was 16 years old.
