scholarly journals DART mass spectrometry as a potential tool for the differentiation of captive-bred and wild lion bones

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Coals ◽  
Andrew Loveridge ◽  
Dominic Kurian ◽  
Vivienne L. Williams ◽  
David W. Macdonald ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Reliable Method ◽  
Chemical Markers ◽  
African Lion ◽  
Dart Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Potential Tool

AbstractIn recent years lion bones have been legally traded internationally to Asian markets from captive-bred sources in South Africa. There are also indications of increasing instances of illegal international trade in wild lion bones. The existence of parallel captive and wild supplies of lion bone are a cause of law enforcement concern regarding the potential for the laundering of illegally sourced bones through legal trade, and present a problem for the assessment of the conservation impact of wild lion bone trade due to the difficulty of determining what market-share wild and captive-bred lion bones account for. Captive-bred and wild lion bone are visually indistinguishable and no reliable method currently exists for distinguishing them. We present a preliminary study that explores the use of DART mass spectrometry as a method to differentiate between captive-bred and wild lion bones. We find that DART is able to differentiate between a batch of captive-bred South African lion bone and a batch of wild lion bone and suggest that DART mass spectrometry shows strong potential as a tool for the regulation and investigation of lion bone trade. Further testing is needed to prove the suitability of this technique. Therefore, we suggest that further research focuses on testing the capability of DART to differentiate between contemporary wild and captive-bred lion bone originating from South Africa, and attempts to identify chemical markers in bone that can be used as indicators of captive-bred origin.

scholarly journals A South African perspective on mutual legal assistance and extradition in a globalized world

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 291
Author(s):  
Murdoch Watney
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
International Criminal ◽  
Legal Assistance ◽  
The South ◽  
Mutual Legal Assistance ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Criminal Conduct ◽  
Globalized World

This contribution focuses on the modalities of mutual legal assistance and extradition from a South African perspective. The question is posed whether South Africa has succeeded to establish the required framework as a fully fledged member of the international community to make a positive contribution in the fields of mutual legal assistance and extradition subsequent to its international political isolation during the apartheid era. Although the international community derives substantial benefit from a borderless global world, it has as a result also to deal with the negative impact of globalization on international crime. Physical and/or electronic crimes are increasingly committed across borders and may be described as borderless, but law enforcement (combating, investigation and prosecution of crime) is still very much confined to the borders of a state. Criminal networks have taken advantage of the opportunities resulting from the dramatic changes in world politics, business, technology, communications and the explosion in international travel and effectively utilize these opportunities to avoid and hamper law enforcement investigations. As a sovereign state has control over its own territory it also implies that states should not interfere with each other’s domestic affairs. The correct and acceptable procedure would be for a state (requesting state) to apply to another state (requested state) for co-operation in the form of mutual legal assistance regarding the gathering of evidence and/or extradition of the perpetrator. Co-operation between states are governed by public international law between the requesting and requested state and the domestic law of the requested state. The South African legislature has increasingly provided for extraterritorial jurisdiction of South African courts in respect of organized crime and terrorism. It does however appear that existing criminal justice responses are experiencing challenges to meet the demands of sophisticated international criminal conduct. Mutual legal assistance and extradition provisions may show that the world is becoming smaller for fugitives and criminals, but the processes are far from expeditious and seamless. An overview of the South African law pertaining to mutual legal assistance and extradition indicates that the South African legislative framework and policies as well as international treaties make sufficient provision to render international assistance in respect of mutual legal assistance and extradition. The role of the courts in upholding the rule of law and protecting the constitutionally enshrined bill of rights, is indicative of the important function that the judiciary fulfills in this regard. It is important that extradition is not only seen as the function of the executive as it also involves the judiciary. It appears that South Africa has displayed the necessary commitment to normalize its international position since 1994 and to fulfill its obligations in a globalized world by reaching across borders in an attempt to address international criminal conduct.

scholarly journals A Critical Analysis of South Africa’s System of Government: From a Disjunctive System to a Synergistic System of Government

Obiter ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-274
Author(s):  
Lindelwa Mhlongo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Fundamental Rights ◽  
Political Accountability ◽  
Home Village ◽  
The Right ◽  
High Level ◽  
Thabo Mbeki

The right to vote in South Africa is one of the fundamental rights recognised by the Constitution. South Africa ran its sixth election on 8 May 2019. Since the birth of democracy in 1994, it has had four presidents, two of whom did not serve their full term in office. Former President Thabo Mbeki resigned after he was recalled for using the country’s law enforcement system to undermine Jacob Zuma’s chances of succeeding him. He resigned with nine months to go in his second term in office. Mbeki’s successor, former President Jacob Zuma, also resigned from office during his second term with 14 months to go. Several stinging criticisms were levelled against him. For example, he was accused of tribalism and being a “ruralitarian” who lacked urban sophistication to understand and lead a large economy such as South Africa. He was also accused of benefiting his family through creating business opportunities for them and directing development projects to his home village. Furthermore, his government was accused of being weak on corruption, and being easily influenced by the communists. In light of the above, the question that begs for an answer is: does the current South African system of government and electoral system provide for high-level political accountability? In answering this question, further ancillary questions are posed throughout the article. What informed the drafters of the Electoral Amendment Act 73 of 1998 to choose the current electoral system? Is it time for South Africa to review its electoral system? How can South Africa increase the level of political accountability of the President?

The Prostigmatic Mites of South African Lizards

Parasitology ◽  
1935 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. F. Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Preliminary Study

The following paper as a preliminary study of the acarine parasites of South African lizards attempts to furnish as complete a list as possible of the pro-stigmatic mites of two families of lizards peculiar to South Africa, the Zonuridae and Gerrhosauridae.

scholarly journals A Criminological Examination Of The Use Of Cyberspace To Traffic Drugs In Durban South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (03) ◽  
pp. 5864-5871
Author(s):  
Dr.EPHRAIM KEVIN SIBANYONI
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Drug Trafficking ◽  
Secure Communication ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Law Enforcement Officers ◽  
Virtual Private Networks ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Onion Ring

This study focused on the use of cyberspace to traffic drugs in Durban, South Africa. The study seeks to determine how cyberspace is used as a tool to traffic drugs in Durban, South Africa; to investigate the current South African laws as deterrence to combat drug trafficking via cyberspace. The studyused the qualitative research method. The data was collected from a sample consisting of eight respondents using the purposive sampling technique. The researchers collected data using semi-structured interviews and the collected data was analyzed through thematic content analysis. The findings depicted that cyberspace is used as a tool to traffic drugs in Durban by providing cyberspace users with the platform to engage in unlimited and secure communication. The use of Virtual Private Networks and The Onion Ring makes it exceptionally difficult to trace cybercriminals. Recommendation: There is a need for more awareness around cybercrime and, more particularly, drug trafficking via cyberspace. More law enforcement officers should be provided with training regarding cyberspace and drug trafficking via cyberspace.

scholarly journals Is Law Enforcement in South Africa Losing the Fight Against Commercial Crime?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor Budhram ◽  
Nicolaas Geldenhuys
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
South African ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Detection Rate ◽  
The South ◽  
Official Statistics ◽  
Police Service ◽  
South African Police Service ◽  
South African Police

The South African Police Service (SAPS) is finding it increasingly difficult to protect victims from the scourge of commercial crime which threatens the economy, corrodes scarce and valuable resources, and inhibits growth and development. Official statistics from the SAPS show that the annual detection rate in respect of reported fraud cases was 35.77% in 2014/15 and 34.08% in 2015/16. Although the detection rate for serious commercial crime for 2014/15 is reported as 94.8% and 96.75% for 2015/16, it is likely that these figures are inaccurate and in reality are much lower. This article provides an overview of the incidence of commercial crime, assesses the detection rate reported by the SAPS and seeks to determine whether they are losing the fight against these crimes.

scholarly journals Monitoring compliance of CITES lion bone exports from South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivienne L. Williams ◽  
Peter G. Coals ◽  
Marli de Bruyn ◽  
Vincent N. Naude ◽  
Desiré L. Dalton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Export Quota ◽  
Cranial Morphology ◽  
Illegal Trade ◽  
Monitoring Tool ◽  
African Lion ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Insight Into

From 2008 to 2018, South Africa permitted the export of captive-bred African lion (Panthera leo) skeletons to Southeast Asia under CITES Appendix II. Legal exports rose from approximately 50 individuals in 2008 to a maximum of 1,771 skeletons in 2016, and has led to ongoing concerns over possible laundering of non-lion, multiple-source and wild-sourced bones. South Africa is required under its obligations to CITES to employ mechanisms for monitoring and reporting trade, and to limit the potential for illegal trade and laundering of lion and other large felid bones. Monitoring tools for legal trade are critical to compliance with CITES. Here we evaluate the CITES-compliance procedure implemented by South Africa for export of lion bones and identify six essential general points for consideration in the implementation of animal export quota compliance protocols. We provide specific insight into the South African lion bone export monitoring system through: i) outlining the protocols followed; ii) assessing the utility of cranial morphology to identify species; iii) evaluating skeleton consignment weight as a monitoring tool; and iv) presenting molecular (DNA) species assignment and pairwise-comparative sample matching of individuals. We describe irregularities and illicit behaviour detected in the 2017 and 2018 lion bone quotas. Notably, we report that the compliance procedure successfully identified and prevented the attempted laundering of a tiger (P. tigris) skeleton in 2018. We emphasise the utility of mixed-method protocols for the monitoring of compliance in CITES Appendix II export quota systems.

Cuddle, kill, conserve: a posthuman analysis of the African lion within the South African wildlife security assemblage

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Fletcher-Barnes
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
African Lion ◽  
Security Personnel ◽  
Interspecies Relations

PurposeThis paper explores the life cycle of a captive bred lion in South Africa, focusing on the distinction between captive bred and wild individuals. Lions are bred in captive breeding facilities across the country to provide cubs and teenagers for ecotourism, and following this, hunting “trophies.” A distinction is made between the “wild” and “captive” lion, a categorization that I argue legitimizes violent and unethical treatment toward those bred specifically to be cuddled and killed. This analysis explores how the lion is remade or modified from wild to commodity and the repercussions this has had throughout the wildlife security assemblage.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on ethnographic research carried out in South Africa during 2016 that involved conducting informal and semi-structured interviews with activists, breeders, wildlife security personnel and conservationists drawing out the interspecies relations that influenced the encounters between humans and wildlife.FindingsDominant conservation narratives continue to understand and interpret wildlife solely as a commodity or profitable resource, which has led to the normalization of unethical and cruel practices that implicate wildlife in their own security and sustenance through their role in ecotourism, hunting and more recently, the lion bone trade. Captive bred lions are treated as products that undergo a series of translations through which they are exposed to violence and exploitation operationalized through practices linked to conservation and ecotourism.Originality/valueThrough posthuman thinking, this paper contributes to debates on the interspecies dimensions of politics through challenging the dominant assumptions that govern conservation and the interspecies encounter.

Biogeographv of Oxalis (Oxalidaceae) in South Africa: a preliminary study

Bothalia ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. C. Oberlander ◽  
L. L. Dreyer ◽  
K. J. Elser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Succulent Karoo ◽  
Winter Rainfall ◽  
Table Mountain ◽  
Northern Areas ◽  
Cape Peninsula ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Insight Into

Oxalis L ,  commonly called sorrel,is a large and cosmopolitan taxon that has undergone spectacular speciation within southern Africa (± 270 taxa). and more specifically within the winter rainfall regions of the western Cape Region (CR). The main objective of this study w as to analyse the geographical distribution of Oxalis in South Africa in relation to currently defined phytogeographic units. The observed patterns of biodiversity and endemism within South African members of the genus show interesting disjunctions and concentrations of species.  Oxalis is one of the few CR taxa that is shared between the core Fynbos and Succulent Karoo Biomes, and this study therefore provides a novel insight into evolutionary trends across, and not only w ithin. these phvtogeographic units. The major centre for diversity for Oxalis is situated on Table Mountain and the northern areas o f the Cape Peninsula (grid square 3318CD). Subsidiary centres are located in the Clanwilliam/Niewoudtville and Kamiesberg regions. The reported patterns in Western Cape suggest that  Oxalis species richness has been generated and retained in areas w hich have been identified as core Fynbos (Table Mountain), Fynbos refugia during interglacials (Kamiesberg). and an ecotonal region which might switch between the two biome types (Clanwilliam/ Niewoudtville). Presumably these three types of areas would provide interesting material for DNA-based phylogenetic work, and a test of the climate change 'species-pump' hypothesis proposed by Midgley et al. (2001).

The influence of corruption: a South African case

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petronella Jonck ◽  
Eben Swanepoel
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
South African ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Public Trust ◽  
Police Corruption ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Crime

Purpose – A growing public concern among South African citizens is that of corruption in law enforcement, an awareness of which causes significant tension in the community – police relationship. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how law enforcement corruption influences service delivery satisfaction and public trust. Design/methodology/approach – Data from the Victims of Crime Survey 2013/2014 for all nine provinces in South Africa were utilised, yielding a final sample of 25,605 respondents. By means of standard multiple-regression analysis, the study established that corruption statistically significantly influence service delivery satisfaction and public trust. Findings – The demographic variables that statistically significantly influenced the aforementioned dependent variables were province, population group and age. Gender and religion were not found to influence law enforcement public trust and service delivery satisfaction significantly. Research limitations/implications – It is recommended that the findings be used to stimulate public debate and renew efforts to curb law enforcement corruption specifically by emphasising police integrity. Practical implications – Limited empirical evidence can be found on the influence of law enforcement corruption on service delivery satisfaction and public trust especially in South Africa where police corruption is a serious concern. Determining the consequences of perceived corruption underscore the importance thereof and will renew efforts to curb as such the prevalence thereof. Social implications – The case study of South Africa could provide valuable lessons not only for South African policy makers but for other countries perilled by high crime rates, a lack of public trust and social segmentation. Originality/value – Limited empirical evidence could be found on the influence of law enforcement corruption on service delivery satisfaction and public trust especially in South Africa where police corruption is a serious concern.

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