Zimbabwe authorities have acted quickly to investigate the poisoning of nearly 100 elephants in Hwange National Park, with four of the poachers already sentanced and several more waiting trail. A man has been charged with supplying the cyanide used in the incident, whilst four police officers have also been accused of accepting a bribe in a previous incident involving the group, members of which have detailed a history of elephant poaching and ivory smuggling.
Image source: New Zimbabwe
Justice Martin Makonese of the Bulawayo High Court recently threw out a bail appeal by three men charged over the Hwange elephant poisoning. Farai Chitsa, 34, a Bulawayo businessman and two brothers Sipho, 54, and Misheck Mafu, 46, will stand trial on October 24 for delivering or offering toxic substances and illegal posession of ivory.
Trial magistrates in Hwange heard how Chitsa paid the two brothers US$900 to poison water sources with salt laced with cyanide. On August 27 this year, game rangers at Hwange National Park got a tip-off that there were poachers in the game park and a team was dispatched to investigate. The court was told that the team picked up footprints of the suspected poachers on August 29 and tracked them to Sipho’s homestead. He allegedly admitted to killing five elephants and led the police to where he had hidden the tusks. Sipho implicated his brother, Misheck, who upon arrest the following day, implicated Chitsa.
Three other poachers, Robert Maposa, 42, Thabani Zondo, 24, and Dedani Tshuma, 25, were recently jailed for 16 years each for illegal possession of ivory and charges related to cyanide poisoning.
The trio were jailed for 16 years each by Hwange provincial magistrate, Rosemary Dub for illegal possession of ivory and delivering toxic substances. They were further ordered to pay US$600,000 restitution to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority by December 31, 2013, while Tshuma was further asked to pay US$200,000 by the same date.
In another case Clever Khumalo, 44, of Iminyela suburb in Bulawayo and Sipho Mafu, 54, of Pelandaba in Tsholotsho were remanded in custody until October 8 by Bulawayo magistrate Gladmore Mushove. A third suspect, Sanelisiwe Dube, of Nkulumane 12 is still on the run. In their recorded police statements, Khumalo and Mafu also implicated several other people and detailed a history of elephant poaching and ivory smuggling.
In his police statement, Khumalo said Mafu had previously supplied him with 25kg of ivory in 2008, which he sold to one Mutemwa in Harare for US$1,000. He also said that in 2010 he received 54kg of ivory from one Mthandazo Tshuma of Binga and used it to make bangles which he sold in Cape Town, South Africa, for US$13,000, and that Mafu again supplied him with 130kg of ivory in 2011 which he smuggled to South Africa through the Beitbridge border post, alleging that he lost the consignment to robbers.
Then in August 2012 Khumalo said he received a 240kg consignment of ivory from Mafu after the poisoning of elephants. He said they got the toxic chemical from Albert Buzizi, a former teacher at Mpopoma High School. Buzizi told investigators that Sanelisiwe Dube, the suspect on the run, told him that they had a gold mine claim and wanted to use the cyanide at the mine.
The consignment of ivory was intercepted by police officers in Harare but those involved released after four police officers recieved a US$10,000 bribe to free them and the vehicle.
Following Khumalo's accusations, a Police detective assistant inspector and three colleagues appeared in court in Bulawayo on the 7th Octber and were remanded in custody. Detective Assistant Inspector Alois Gakata, Detective Sergeant Wellington Jena, Detective Constable Shadreck Rore and Detective Ronald Dube allegedly received a US$10,000 bribe from the poachers accused of poisoning the Hwange elephants.
The four were named by several of the alleged poachers as the officers who took the money in order to release their Toyota Hilux. The truck was transporting elephant tusks to Harare when it was intercepted. It is alleged that Daniel Mba, Mthandazo Tshuma, Mai Rumba, Anna Mvereche and Elfina Mzizi had all been placed under arrest but were allowed to walk after the money was paid.
It has also been reported in news media that the man accused by authorities of supplying poachers with th cyanide used in the recent incident in Hwange National Park has appeared in court charged with storing classified hazardous substances at unlicensed premises.
Prosecutors say between October and November last year, Elvis Ncube, 30, of Hillside in Harare, acquired three tonnes of sodium cyanide and stored it at his place of residence, a Bulawayo court heard. He allegedly sold the chemical to different unnamed individuals including the poaching syndicate, who went on to mix it with salt and poison water sources at Hwange National Park. Ncube was remanded to October 16 on US$100 bail by magistrate Gladmore Mushove.
Sources:
Elephant poisoning: Top cop, 3 others in court (New Zimbabwe, 7 October)
Elephant deaths cyanide dealer in court (New Zimbabwe, 5 October)
Elephant poachers implicate cops (New Zimbabwe, 26 September)
Read more about the region in our destination guide:
Hwange
Read more on elephants from the Zambezi Traveller:
Elephants
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