There must be something mystical and mythical about pangolins, or perhaps some powerful juju attached to their scales.
Because anyone who chooses to trade in these creatures appears to be volunteering for a date with the courts.
Time and again, people have been trying to sell pangolins or their scales, only to fall into the hands of our alert detectives.
Yet another ambitious character always emerges, foolishly convinced he will be the one to break the unbeatable pangolin curse.
Muzarabani village head Johannes Mazonde, of Mazonde village, under Chief Kasekete, apparently thought he had discovered a shortcut to riches by dabbling in the business of pangolin scales. Unfortunately for him, the only thing he managed to accumulate was nine years behind bars.
Harare magistrate Ms Lisa Mutendereki recently sentenced Mazonde to nine years in prison after finding him guilty of unlawful possession of pangolin scales.
He will serve the full mandatory sentence after failing to establish special circumstances that could have spared him some jail time.
Now, what exactly goes through someone’s mind when they decide that pangolin scales are the perfect merchandise to trade in?
Well, Mazonde’s troubles began on October 27 this year when Detective Constable Manzini of the Criminal Investigation Department, Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit, Harare, received information that the village head was selling pangolin scales in Harare.
The detective obtained Mazonde’s number and called him, pretending to be an interested buyer. The two arranged to meet at Eastgate Mall at 8am for the supposedly lucrative transaction. Little did Mazonde know that his prospective customer was not interested in acquiring some mystical wildlife merchandise but was actually a police officer with an entirely different shopping list.
Detective Constable Manzini teamed up with two other officers, who descended on Eastgate Mall and kept watch.
At 8.05am, the undercover buyer contacted Mazonde, and the two met at the mall’s entrance.
The detectives promptly introduced themselves by producing their service identity cards and explaining their mission.
When asked to produce any animal products in his possession, Mazonde obediently reached into the left pocket of his blue jacket and handed over a black plastic bag.
Inside were 29 pangolin scales.
Asked to produce a licence or permit authorising him to possess the scales, the village head was found wanting. The inevitable happened, and he was arrested.
