A ZAMBIAN national yesterday appeared at the Masvingo Magistrates Court where he was slapped with a 10-year jail term for rhino poaching and illegal possession of a firearm.
BY REGIS CHINGAWO
Jason Chisango (57) was sentenced to one year in prison for possession of unlawful and dangerous weapons and nine years for contravening the Parks and Wildlife Act when he appeared before provincial magistrate, Langton Ndokera.
The court heard that on December 13 2015, Chisango teamed up with Central Intelligence Organisation operative Tawanda Machona, Mudenge Munashe Mugwira, Mthandazo Tshuma (now deceased) and Anywhere Mazhongwe, who is still at large and invaded Save Valley Conservancy in pursuit of rhinoceros.
The four had in their possession, 7,62 x 399 mm AK rifle, 7x 57 Waffenfabrik Mauser rifle with a silencing device and telescope, 33 rounds of ammunition for the AK rifle and 17 rounds of ammunition for the Waffenfabrik Mauser rifle.
They were, however, spotted by game scouts who were on patrol in the conservancy.
The game scouts opened fire at the accused persons resulting in the death of Tshuma. Chisango was captured after he was shot and injured, Machona escaped but was later arrested, while Mazhongwe fled and is still at large.
In his defence, Chisango told the court that he was not hunting rhinos, but zebras claiming the late Tshuma had enticed him to join in the hunt.
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But the court ruled that there was overwhelming evidence that Chisango and the other accused persons were in the process of hunting for rhinos.
“The accused’s way of following rhino spoors shows that they were not ordinary poachers, the firearms they were in possession of were again not ordinary guns.
“The area they were in is a specifically protected place where there are elephants and rhinos which according to the laws of the country, must not be poached,”Ndokera said.
