Online Reporter
Yeukai Karengezeka
Court Correspondent
The trial of five individuals accused of possessing and attempting to sell 41 pieces of ivory valued at US$39 984 has been postponed due to the unavailability of the prosecutor and one of the defence lawyers.
The hearing was originally scheduled for this week, but will now take place on October 21.
Masauso Nevhaya (48), Priscilla Chabata (52), Wonder Bozho (51), Stanford Mbiriyakura (49), and Max Bloomton (54) are the accused.
They appeared before Harare regional magistrate Mr Lazini Ncube and pleaded not guilty to charges of contravening the Parks and Wildlife Act by possessing and selling unmarked ivory without a permit.
According to the State, the five sourced the raw, unmarked ivory near Hwange National Park from a supplier identified as Khumbulani Masuku.
The ivory was transported to Harare and stored at Chabata’s house in Sunningdale.
They subsequently enlisted Bozho and another suspect, known as Mutize, to find potential buyers. On May 30, detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora, and Fauna Unit received a tip-off regarding the accused’s activities.
A detective posing as a buyer contacted Safirio Mcben Guetchel, also known as Mutize, to arrange a meeting.
At a location along Seke Road, the undercover officer met with Bozho and Mutize, who showed him the ivory stored in a car.
As the transaction progressed, the detective signalled his backup team, which moved in to arrest the five.
Mbiriyakura was caught holding the vehicle’s boot open while Chabata was displaying the ivory.
Although Mutize escaped, the other suspects were arrested.
Further investigations led detectives to Chabata’s house where they recovered an additional sack containing six elephant tusks.
Bloomton, believed to have sourced the ivory, was later arrested in Bulawayo.
The recovered ivory weighed 235,2 kilogrammes and was identified and valued by a Parks and Wildlife official, who compiled a report to be used as evidence in court.
daniel chigunwe