Two men sentenced to a combined 18 years for stealing a pangolin

Danisa Masuku, Court Writer

Two men from Filabusi, Matabeleland South Province, have been sentenced to a combined 18 years in prison for possessing a pangolin valued at US$5 000.

Mayibongwe Ndlovu (27) and John Wax (25) appeared before Bulawayo Regional Magistrate Ms Sibonginkosi Mkandala on charges of contravening the Parks and Wildlife Act, which prohibits the hunting, capture, or possession of specially protected animals. Both had pleaded not guilty but were found guilty at the conclusion of the trial.

Each was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.

In delivering the sentence, Magistrate Mkandala stated that the mandatory sentencing guidelines left her with no discretion, given the overwhelming evidence.

“They were caught with a pangolin after detectives posed as buyers. They were also involved in negotiating a price to sell the animal. There was no way I could depart from the mandatory sentence in the face of such overwhelming evidence,” she said.

Prosecutor Ms Tsungai Mutapi said that on 22 October, detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit in Bulawayo received a tip-off that the accused had a live pangolin in Filabusi and were seeking a buyer. Acting on the information, detectives posed as buyers and contacted Ndlovu, who agreed to travel to Bulawayo to finalize the transaction.

Later that day, the detectives met Ndlovu and Wax at an agreed location, with Brighton Moyo (discharged at trial) reportedly joining them. The accused directed the detectives to a parked vehicle at the intersection of Robert Mugabe Way and Masotsha Avenue.

Upon arrival, the suspects retrieved a sack from the back seat, secured with wire, and offered the live pangolin to the detectives but could not produce a valid permit or licence authorising them to possess the animal. The detectives arrested the trio, although Moyo initially fled but was apprehended later in Filabusi.

The pangolin was handed over to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority for examination. An ecologist confirmed that it was a live Temminck’s ground pangolin (Manis temminckii), a strictly protected species under Zimbabwean law. The ecologist’s report was presented in court as evidence.