Thupeyo Muleya Beitbridge Bureau
A 28-year-old Beitbridge man has been jailed for an effective 10 months for illegally hunting and killing a zebra worth US$3 000 in the Greater Mapungubwe Transfrontier Conservation Area (GMTFCA), as the Government intensifies its crackdown on poaching and wildlife crime.
Smile Moyo was arrested and brought before the courts after illegally hunting and killing a male zebra at Sentinel Ranch, Border Ridge Farm, within Zimbabwe’s component of the GMTFCA.
The conservation area straddles Zimbabwe, South Africa and Botswana and is known for its sensitive wildlife populations and high conservation value.
In a statement on Thursday, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said Moyo committed the offence on 14 October with his accomplice, Ntshengedzeni Tshabalala, who remains at large.
Moyo was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for the offence, while the court activated a previously suspended four-month sentence, bringing his effective prison term to 10 months.
The court heard that the two men unlawfully entered the private conservancy and set Class One wire snares, one of which killed a male zebra.
Their activities were discovered when game scouts on patrol spotted them inspecting the snares.
“The scouts apprehended Moyo, while Tshabalala escaped. A hunting knife was recovered from Moyo, who later led the scouts to the zebra carcass,” said the NPAZ.
Officers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) in Beitbridge confirmed the carcass and issued a certificate to support the court proceedings.
“The NPAZ maintains a zero-tolerance stance on wildlife crime and remains committed to bringing offenders to justice. Wildlife crime poses a serious threat to biodiversity and Zimbabwe’s natural heritage, and perpetrators will face the full force of the law,” the authority said.
Zimbabwe is home to diverse wildlife populations, including protected species, and authorities have intensified anti-poaching patrols, snare-removal operations and partnerships with community wildlife conservancies.
ZimParks has repeatedly warned that wire snares remain a major threat to wildlife, often causing animals slow and painful deaths while undermining the country’s tourism sector.
The Government has urged communities living near wildlife areas to report poaching and benefit from conservation initiatives such as the Communal Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE), rather than engaging in illegal hunting.
