Rutendo Nyeve, [email protected]
A 46-YEAR-OLD Chinese national facing charges of unlawful possession of copper cables and remaining in Zimbabwe without a valid permit has been further remanded in custody after the Victoria Falls Magistrates Court failed to secure a Chinese interpreter.
Yang Guangkuan appeared before Victoria Falls magistrate Mr Fungai Dzimiri, who remanded him in custody to 6 November to allow the State to secure an interpreter so that he can follow the proceedings and participate in his defence.
Prosecutor Mrs Portia Moyo represented the State.
According to court papers, on 23 October 2023, Yang went to Victoria Falls International Airport intending to board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET823 to China via Addis Ababa.
“While he was at the screening point, a female (names withheld), who was operating a baggage screening machine, identified an unusual object in the accused person’s bag. She alerted her supervisor, who then alerted the police. The police then searched the accused person’s bag and discovered that the accused person was carrying copper cables.
“The accused was asked to produce the documents that allow him to be in possession of copper and
he failed, leading to his arrest. The copper cables were taken for weighing at Zimpost and they weighed 6,60kg,” reads the court papers.
On the second charge, the court heard that after Yang’s arrest, his passport was checked and investigators discovered that he had entered Zimbabwe on 10 November 2025.
He was expected to leave the country by 10 December 2025, when his permit expired, but allegedly remained in the country without valid immigration documents.
“The accused person was asked to produce documents which allowed him to remain in Zimbabwe after 10 December 2025 and he failed to produce any. The accused was then arrested,” reads the court papers.
The matter returns to court on 6 November, with the State expected to secure a Chinese interpreter.
The interpreter challenge is not isolated to Yang’s case.
Seven Chinese nationals arrested in Victoria Falls over the alleged possession of ivory and rhino horn also experienced delays in court proceedings after authorities struggled to secure a Chinese interpreter.
The seven were arrested after more than 20kg of rhino horn pieces were reportedly found at a house in the Aerodrome suburb. They also faced money laundering charges, with their case repeatedly postponed as proceedings stalled over the interpreter issue.
