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Fisani Sibanda (30) was in the habit of trapping wild animals and in the process would also trap villagers’ domestic animals.
Less than a year ago he was sentenced to 24 months in prison for violating sections of the Trapping of Animals Control Act after his snares caught a cow.
He had been left with an option of community service after 12 months of the sentence had been converted to 420 hours of community service at Sikhanyiso Primary School in Umguza District, while the other 12 months had been suspended for three years on condition he does not within that period commit a similar offence.
He however committed a similar offence while the previous sentence was still hovering over his head and was re-arrested on 21 August after he ensnared a beast belonging to a farmer in Nyamandlovu.
Sibanda was last Thursday arraigned before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Victor Mpofu, sitting at the Nyamandlovu Circuit Court for a charge of trapping animals.
Sibanda was convicted on his own plea of guilty and was jailed for 24 months.
Twelve months of the sentence were suspended on condition he does not commit a similar offence within five years.
However, the previous sentence was brought into effect. Sibanda was lucky as the magistrate ruled that the two sentences would run concurrently, although the previous community service sentence was revoked and substituted with an order to serve the alternative of imprisonment of the equivalent term of service.
Sibanda will serve an effective 24 months.
The State’s case was that on 19 August, the complainant released his herd of cattle to the grazing land at about 2pm.
He rounded them up two days later and noticed that one of them was missing.
The complainant looked for the beast and later found it dead after it had been caught by a wire snare belonging to Sibanda.
A report was made to the police leading to Sibanda’s arrest.
The beast was valued at $600.
Online Reporter