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Fungai Lupande
Harare Bureau
A CHIHOTA man arrested for posessing a live Egyptian cobra yesterday told a Harare magistrate he wanted his snake back.
Grey Mupinganjira, 32, of Muhove village in Mahusekwa was arrested on Sunday at a roadblock in Harare after he was found with the cobra in his laptop bag.
Mupinganjira appeared before magistrate Elijah Makomo.“The snake belongs to me and not to Zimbabwe National Parks and Wild Life Authority,” he said.
“It’s true that I was found in possession of a snake but I don’t understand why it was taken away from me.”
Makomo asked Mupinganjira why he was claiming ownership of the snake as if he created it.
Mupinganjira replied: “I inherited the snake from my late mother.
“My mother got the snake from Malawi but now I don’t have evidence to prove that because she’s no longer alive.”
Makomo ruled that the matter was “a bizarre incident” and the accused needed to be examined by psychiatrists. Mupinganjira insisted he was normal.
“I don’t suffer from any form of mental illness,” he said.
Mupinganjira is accused of contravening section 59(2)(b) of the Parks and Wildlife Act Chapter 20,14 which prohibits removing any animal or any part of any animal from any land without a permit.
Prosecutor Francisca Mukumbiri told the court that on Sunday, at around 11AM, Mupinganjira was travelling to Epworth from Mbare.
The commuter omnibus he was travelling in was stopped at a roadblock at corner Chiremba and Alexandra Road in Hatfield.
The vehicle was searched and Mupinganjira was found in possession of a live Egyptian cobra in his laptop bag.
The snake, valued at $100, was handed over to the Parks and Wildlife Authorities by the police.
Online Reporter