A 20-YEAR-OLD man will serve an effective nine years in prison after a Hwange Magistrate Court found him guilty of illegal possession of unmarked raw ivory.
The court was told that on February 15 this year, rangers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Parks Authority) received a tip-off that Qondisani Ncube, together with his accomplices who are still at large, were in possession of ivory and were looking for a buyer at Fatima business centre in Lupane.
The Parks Authority’s rangers alerted the police and they proceeded to the business centre.
They spotted Ncube together with his accomplices coming from the shops heading towards the Manganga turn off which is along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road.
The police and the rangers approached the trio who were holding a white sack before Ncube’s accomplices ran away.
Ncube and his co-accused Malvern Chigume were apprehended before being asked to produce a permit granting them the authority to be in possession of the ivory.
They failed to produce one, leading to their arrest.
Chigume defaulted soon after being granted bail.
- 20-year-old to serve 9 years for ivory possession
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He is currently on a warrant of arrest.
The four pieces of elephant tusks weighed 7kgs and were produced as exhibits during the trial.
