Posters depicting President Jacob Zuma overseeing a lioness about to be executed with a handgun were removed from the OR Tambo international airport, in Kempton Park, the Beeld newspaper reported on Saturday.
Airports Company SA (Acsa) told Primedia, who put the posters up on behalf of international NGO Avaaz.org, to remove the posters from the pillars of airport's international arrival hall on Friday.
The posters, which were digitally altered to have Zuma's face on it, read: “President Zuma can save her (the lioness's) life”.
The posters were part of a campaign to prevent the canned hunting of lions, as well as the sale of their organs to the Far East.
Emma Ruby-Sachs, an Avaaz.org co-ordinator from Canada told the newspaper the organisation would hire a South African lawyer to take the matter to court.
“We will not tolerate this conduct. How can more than 700,000 people's voices just be quietened?”
The organisation said it “had a hunch” that the decision to remove the posters was because of political interference. - Sapa