Zim elephant poachers in court

TWO suspected elephant poachers arrested in Tsholotsho last week, leading to the recovery of 224kg of elephants tusks valued at $56 000, appeared at the Hwange Magistrates’ Court yesterday. Busani Moyo (36) of Bhule 2 village, Chief Magama in Tsholotsho and Cornelius Mudimba (35) of Kariangwe village, Chief Siansole, Binga, were charged with contravening Section 128 (b) of the Parks and Wildlife Act as read with Statutory Instrument 362 of 1990 (poaching) when they appeared before Hwange magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa. They were both remanded in custody to today for bail ruling. Bulawayo lawyer Tonderai Mukuku made the bail application on their behalf. It is the State case that police in Tsholotsho received information that Moyo and Mudimba were allegedly dealing in ivory and teamed up with detectives from Lupane and raided Moyo’s homestead. The police searched the homestead leading to the recovery of 27 elephant tusks and five pieces of ivory. Police arrested Mudimba while Moyo fled under the cover of darkness. However, Moyo was arrested two days later after the police had used his brother to phone him and lure him to come home under the pretext that police wanted to negotiate the case with him. When he eventually came, police immediately arrested him. Source: Newsday