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Court Reporter
A MBARE magistrate on Monday convicted and fined a fish poacher who assaulted a game ranger while resisting arrest for illegally selling fish from Lake Chivero.
Maxwell Katema (25) of number 12884 Kuwadzana Extension pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting Webster Tandi, a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority game ranger.
The magistrate, Ms Shelly Zvenyika, slapped him with a US$80 fine.
The court heard that on December 22 at around 8am, Tandi and his workmate arrived at White House Shopping Centre near Kintyre Estates on a routine patrol.
Upon their arrival, fish vendors fled with buckets full of fish.
Tandi chased Katema through a maize field.
The game ranger managed to catch Katema who had two buckets of fish.
The fish poacher, however, resisted arrest and in the process, his accomplices who had fled the scene returned and mobbed Tandi.
Katema took advantage of the support he got and started assaulting the game ranger who could not match the pair.
After realising that Tandi was in trouble, his colleague followed to the maize field with a rifle.
When he got to the scene, he fired warning shots, forcing the vendors to flee.
The rangers then managed to overpower and arrest Katema.
Katema was later handed over to the police.
Online Reporter