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Leonard Ncube Court Reporter
HIGH Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha has granted Bulawayo businessman Farai Chitsa, 34, who is facing charges of allegedly using cyanide to poison elephants at the Hwange National Park, $200 bail. Chitsa of Old Pumula suburb is facing the charges together with the Mafu brothers Sipho, 54, and Misheck, 46, Mafu who are alleged members of the poaching syndicate that has been using the substance to poison jumbos in the area.
The trio was once denied bail by Justice Martin Makonese and appealed against the ruling.
Justice Kamocha granted Chitsa bail and ordered him to report to the nearest police station twice a week on Mondays and Fridays until the matter is finalised.
The judge said there was no truth in the State’s outline against Chitsa because he was not found carrying the alleged two elephant tusks, adding that they were recovered through indications by the Mafu brothers.
“The State has two conflicting stories and evidence linking the accused to the offence is non-existent. He was preparing to illegally possess or deal in the ivory but never possessed it,” said Justice Kamocha in his ruling.
“Where evidence is weak, it is unjust to refuse him bail even if allegations are serious. It is for these reasons that I have granted him bail.”
Misheck had charges against him withdrawn before plea for lack of evidence at the regional court.
The State has since applied for separation of trial which was granted by Trynos Wutawhashe.
It is alleged that Chitsa paid the two brothers $900 to poison water sources with salt laced with cyanide, which has resulted in the death of 95 jumbos.
Allegations are that on August 27, this year, game rangers at Hwange National Park got a tip-off that there were poachers in the game park and a team was dispatched to investigate.
The court was told that the team noticed footprints of poachers on August 29, and tracked them to Sipho’s homestead, who allegedly admitted to killing five elephants and led the police to where he had hidden the tusks.
Sipho implicated his brother Misheck, who upon arrest the following day implicated Chitsa.
The court was told that investigators told Misheck to phone Chitsa, who was in Bulawayo, on the pretext that he wanted to sell him some tusks, and Chitsa drove from Bulawayo to Pelandaba in Tsholotsho where he was ambushed and arrested by rangers.
The court was told that Sipho, his brother Misheck and Chitsa allegedly targeted pools frequented by elephants at the national park and poisoned the water.
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