S. African minister denies involvement in illegal abalone trade

CAPE TOWN, March 26 (Xinhua) -- A South African cabinet minister on Monday denied allegations that he and his department had been involved in the illegal abalone trade.

Such allegations "are unfounded, false, and defamatory," Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana said in a statement.

This came after the opposition Democratic Alliance accused the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) of presiding over an "opaque process" of disposing confiscated abalone.

The sale of confiscated abalone remains hidden from public scrutiny, creating opportunities for illegal trade in the sector, the DA alleged.

The City Press newspaper also reported on Sunday that former president Jacob Zuma was being investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, for allegedly accepting a one-million-rand (about 85,000-U.S.-dollar) cash bribe from a Western Cape abalone dealer, Deon Larry, in exchange for keeping Zokwana in his cabinet.

The report said Zokwana also accepted a bribe from the same businessman who runs the Willjarro (Pty) Ltd.

This was part of a broader scheme to raise about 30 million rand (about 2.5 million dollars) for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) through a fisheries project, according to the report.

The Western Cape High Court ordered on Saturday that the contract concluded between the DAFF and Willjarro (Pty) Ltd for the processing, marketing and selling of confiscated abalone was unlawful and should accordingly be set aside.

The Hawks has confirmed it is investigating the bribery claims against Zuma, Zokwana and some other people.

Responding to the allegations, Zokwana said he has never been involved in any unlawful conduct in relation to the awarding of contracts for processing and sale of confiscated abalone, or any plans to raise money for the ANC through the DAFF.

The minister expressed confidence that the ongoing investigation by the Hawks will establish that he is innocent.

But he acknowledged that some employees of the DAFF appear to be implicated in the awarding of the unlawful contract.

Investigations into the employees are still ongoing, Zokwana said.

A booming illegal trade in abalone is fueling a social and environmental crisis in South Africa. Since 2001, an estimated 75 million abalone, or 40,000 tons, have been plucked from South African waters, about 10 times the legal quota, according to official figures. Enditem