The Sunday News
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
A SIX-MEMBER poaching syndicate from Hwange which was busted last year after being found in possession of 37 kilogrammes of raw ivory valued at more than US$9 000 has been jailed to a combined 54 years.
Austin Sibanda (54), Morris Munkombwe (39), Shingayi Sithole (33), Kemesi Shoko (39), Tariro Mateyaunga (26) and Phenias Ncube (39) of 12 Mutuya pleaded not guilty when they appeared before Hwange provincial magistrate Mr Livard Philemon facing unlawful possession of animal trophy charges.
Mr Philemon, however, found them guilty and sentenced them to nine years in jail each.
Through their lawyers, Mr Thulani Nkala and Mr Givemore Mvhiringi of Dube and Company and Mvhiringi and Associates respectively the men argued that they were being set up as they had no knowledge of the alleged elephant tusks recovered in their possession.
“We deny the charges levelled against us, we were never found in possession of the said elephant tusks. We only learnt of ivory following our arrest and we were surprised to be told that it was ours. We don’t know where the ivory came from,” they said through their lawyers.
The lengthy trial which had dragged on for six months owing to the court processes such as high number of testimonies and defence finally came to a close last Friday as the six were convicted and sentenced to nine years each.
Prosecuting, Mr Vusumuzi Mangena told the court that on 24 November 2018 at around 2pm detectives received a tip-off that the six member gang were in possession of raw ivory at Dete which they were intending to sell.
Acting upon the information a Detective Inspector Rusinga assembled a reaction team which proceeded to Dete with the detective posing as a trophy buyer.
Acting on the directions of his informer whom he was with, the police officer drove alone while members of his team followed closely behind in a pickup.
Along the way he picked up Munkombwe, Mateyaunga and Shoko who later demanded to be paid US$50 so that he would accompany them to where the ivory was located.
At around 10pm, Det Insp Rusinga arrived at Cross Dete with four men before being instructed to park at a bus stop near Binga turn off. Munkombwe then phoned Sibanda who soon arrived where they were in a Mazda 323 driven by Sithole before insisting on being paid before bringing the ivory.
It was agreed that he would be paid $30 via EcoCash as soon as he returned with the ivory. He then drove Sibanda, Munkombwe and Kemese to collect the ivory while Mateyaunga and Ncube remained at Cross Dete in the car with Det Insp Rusinga.
After a while a Det Constable Mandina was tipped off that the four men were on their way back and he tipped the reaction team who intercept them.
They requested to search the vehicle upon which they discovered Kemese and Sibanda who were seated at the back seat holding one piece of ivory each.
They were subsequently arrested after failing to produce a permit authorising them to possess the two pieces of ivory.
Thereafter Det Insp Rusinga arrived at the scene with Matenyaunga and Ncube who were also arrested. The two pieces of ivory weighed 21,5kg and 15,5kg a total of 37kg and valued at US$9 250.
