adminLindani Dube Court Correspondent
TWO suspected poachers have been sentenced to two years imprisonment each for illegal possession of firearms. Simon Chimbo (age not given) of Njelele area in Gokwe and Nkosilathi Ndlovu, 39, from Dete appeared before Hwange magistrate Portia Mhlanga charged with illegal possession of fire arms. Prosecutor Tinomupeyi Mbiza told how sometime in May, the duo unlawfully hunted and killed a male elephant at Sikumi forest near Dete using 375 and 458 Bruno rifles without permits.
They proceeded to remove the tusks from the carcass and fled from the scene unnoticed.
The pair allegedly continued poaching and killed another male elephant.
Mbiza said on June 10 around 9AM, alert detectives from CID Hwange received information that the two were in a white Nissan caravan parked outside TM Supermarket, carrying a firearm beneath it.
The detectives quickly mounted a roadblock along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road near Independence Drive and stopped the vehicle where the two firearms were recovered with ammunition.
The driver, Dingiswayo Ndlovu, 37, of Empumalanga suburb, was arrested while the two accused, who were not in the vehicle at the time, were arrested later.
They were interviewed and accompanied the detectives to the crime scene where the calibre of rounds of ammunition reportedly matched the ones at the scene.
Ndlovu was sentenced to six months in prison for his role in working with the criminals after pleading guilty to the charge.
According to court documents, the two firearms and two spent cartridges have since been sent to ballistic tests for comparisons.
The duo will face trial for poaching on June 30 pending the ballistic report.
Chimbo told the court he acquired the firearms and ammunition from McDonald Madhara, who is still at large.
derick.khumalo