BY RICHARD MUPONDE
A BULAWAYO man has been arrested after he was found in possession of two live pangolins and Zesa copper cables in his house.
Welcome Moyo, of Cowdray Park, pleaded not guilty to unlawful possession or keeping two live pangolins without a licence as defined by section 45 of the Parks and Wildlife Act, when his trial started before Bulawayo regional magistrate Sithembinkosi Mkandla yesterday.
He was remanded in custody to February 27 as he awaits a ruling on his application for discharge after the State closed its case.
Two witnesses, Detective Shingirai Pfakacha and Joshua Taruvinga, a loss control officer with Zesa Holdings, testified for the State.
In his application for discharge filed by his lawyer David Mhiribidi, Moyo said the pangolins and the copper wires did not belong to him, as the rooms in which they were found were being rented by another person, with whom he shared the house.
“It’s submitted that the witnesses’ evidence does not take the State’s case anywhere at all, especially in view of the fact that, from day one of investigations, the accused had indicated to the investigation team that he was not the only person using the house,” Mhiribidi said.
“Besides him and his girlfriend, a certain Marashi Takundwa, alias Moyo, was the one renting the spare bedroom from where the pangolins were recovered.”
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Detectives from the Flora and Fauna section at Bulawayo Central Police Station last week received a tip-off and searched the house, where they discovered the two pangolins and copper cables weighing about 75kg, leading to Moyo’s arrest.
