BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
BANKER and lawyer Tawanda Nyambirai has reportedly lost a head of 144 cattle worth $1,3 million after his farm guard fed them on stockfeed laced with a toxic herbicide.
The suspect, Paradzai Kamwaza (18) who was employed at Nyambirai’s Marvel Farm Livestock, yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa who remanded him to today for his bail ruling.
According to the court papers, the farm had 544 cattle of various breeds and it is the State’s case that between December 29 and January, Kamwaza and his accomplice Timothy Katsekete, who is still at large, connived to kill the cattle at the farm by poisoning them.
It is alleged that they mixed the stockfeed with a deadly herbicide, resulting in the death of 144 cattle. These were 47 of mixed breed, 21 heifers mixed breed, 46 Brahman heifers, 21 cows mixed breed and nine steers valued at $1 365 000.
The State alleges that on January 28, Kamwaza was found with a container full of Paraquat herbicide by one of the farm managers, Joshua Nyambirai, and was handed over to the police.
Police interrogaged him, but the accused failed to give a satisfactory explanation. After his arrest, he implicated his accomplice.
Samples of carcasses were taken to a government veterinary surgeon and it was discovered that the cattle had been poisoned.
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According to the State, 421 other cattle that were exposed to the poison are reportedly in a dire state.
