KADOMA – The seven men who were arrested last week for illegal possession of a pangolin were yesterday granted $300 bail each coupled with stringent reporting conditions when they appeared before magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba.
Own Correspondent
The seven – Terera Muzamba (26), Austin Charidza (38), Godwin Muzhira (56), Chengetai Neshiri (28), Lawrence Masocha (26), Obey Gwenhure (24) and Marksen Shoko (37) – were ordered to report three times a week to their nearest police stations until finalisation of the matter.
They are facing charges of contravening section 45 of the Parks and Wildlife Act Chapter 20;14 which pertains to possession, sale or hunting of specially protected animals.
The State case is that on August 27 2014, Muzamba found a pangolin in his fields at Kwalonga, Binga, and took it home whereupon he told Charidza of his find. They then went to Gokwe business centre where they met Muzhira.
The following day, the State alleges, Muzhira travelled to Harare where he teamed up with Shoko and Gwenhure who knew a buyer of pangolins and hired a Toyota vehicle registration ADN2807 belonging to Masocha from Harare to Binga.
The six then carried the live pangolin to Kadoma where they were going to meet the said buyer and Shoko.
Later that day, the court further heard, detectives from Kadoma Minerals Unit got wind of the imminent deal and arrested the suspects along the Kadoma-Chegutu Road.
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The suspects, who were represented by Ignatius Murambatsvina and Dyson Robert Chirairo, were remanded to September 19 for routine remand hearing.
Herbert Ngezimani prosecuted.