MK Party demands Hawks probe DA Ministers over lion bone trade allegations

The MK Party has called on the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) to urgently investigate serious allegations against Minister of Agriculture John Steenhuisen, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Willie Aucamp, and the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The allegations claim the ministers and the party were involved in facilitating and participating in the commercial trading of lion bones for private and commercial interests.

The party said these allegations, which emerged following disclosures by George, raise serious concerns about corruption, abuse of political influence and conduct, inconsistent with ethical governance and environmental responsibility.

The MK Party said they would further expose "the hollowness of the DA's long-standing posture as a party of 'clean governance'."

MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the initial ethics complaint against Steenhuisen before Parliament's Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests relates to "the abuse of public office and the misrepresentation of Cabinet and government positions at the Oval Office for narrow party-political benefit."

Ndlela confirmed that the MK Party would formally submit additional representations to the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members' Interests to supplement the existing case.

He said this would include "representations against Willie Aucamp for his part in the matter, therefore ensuring that all ethical concerns are properly placed before Parliament for consideration in the public interest."

He also called on the Public Protector to cooperate fully with the Hawks in examining the complaint laid by George against his own party leader, saying, "No individual, regardless of political standing, should be shielded from scrutiny or accountability."

The MK Party noted allegations circulating in the public domain relating to Steenhuisen’s spouse.

While these allegations remain untested, Ndhlela said, "all such matters must be addressed through lawful processes."

In this regard, the party said it would report the matter to the South African Police Service at Morningside Police Station in Sandton on Friday, 16 January 2026, "to seek clarity on any official records in the interest of transparency and public accountability."

Ndhlela added that these developments further confirmed that the so-called Government of National Unity is "not a people-centered project, but an elite arrangement increasingly exposed as serving narrow interests rather than the needs of South Africans."

He emphasised that the MK Party would continue to "expose corruption, challenge elite impunity, and defend the sovereignty, resources and dignity of the people of South Africa."

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za 

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