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Court Reporter
THE five villagers including a former police officer from Jotsholo in Lupane District who poisoned 23 elephants to death with cyanide were yesterday slapped with different jail terms for disposing hazardous substances and illegally possessing ivory.
The former policeman, William Ncube (53) was sentenced to four years in prison while his accomplices Sikhumbuzo Sibindi, of Fatima Village and Elvis Nkomo of Bhangale Village all from Chief Mabhikwa were also given the same number of years.
They were being charged with violating some sections of the Environmental Management Act.
Hwange magistrate Ms Lindiwe Maphosa, however, remanded Ncube to a later date on another case of illegally possessing ivory where he is being charged alone because he pleaded not guilty.
Mkhululi Ncube (36) and Johannes Munkombwe (29) were each slapped with 10 year prison sentences for illegally possessing ivory.
The two were further slapped with four years each for violating the EMA Act and were also ordered to compensate the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority $850 000 being the value of 20 elephants they killed.
The poisoning took place between August last year and last month at Ngamo Forest and the elephants they killed together with the tusks were valued at $1,1 million.
Ncube was implicated by his accomplices as the supplier of the cyanide.
On the other hand, Ncube told police investigators that he was introduced into the act by some people some of them in Government departments.
The five mixed cyanide with water and put it in buckets which they deposited in the bush where the elephants drank.
In August last year Ncube took out two tusks of elephants and in September this year he killed three jumbos using water laced with cyanide.
He went on to kill two more elephants last month in connivance with Sibindi and Nkomo.
Mkhululi Ncube and Munkombwe received an undisclosed quantity of cyanide from Ncube and using the same modus operandi, killed 20 elephants and took away 34 tusks.
About 5.67 kg of cyanide was recovered at Munkombwa’s homestead while 4kg was recovered at Ncube’s homestead buried in a kraal.
Sibindi, Nkomo, Mkhululi Ncube and Munkombwe said Ncube had promised them money.
Ncube is being represented by Mr Elvis Mashindi of Mashindi and Company Legal Practitioners.
A statement by an official from the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority which is included in the record showed that a total of 149 jumbos have been poisoned and killed by poachers from February this year to date.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter