Duo pay heavy price for Pangolin possession
MUTARE – Two men have been sentenced to an effective nine years in jail each for possessing a pangolin worth $ 5 000 without a permit.
Tapiwa Machaya (43) of Binga and Rodrick Murambisi (32) of Marondera appeared before Mutare Magistrates Court facing a charge of contravening Section 128(b) of the Parks and Wildlife Act, Chapter 20:04 – found in possession of or keeping a specially protected animal.
According to State papers, on July 16, 2024, CID Mutare received information that the accused persons were in possession of a pangolin and actively seeking a buyer.
Acting on a tip-off, detectives contacted Murambisi, pretending to be interested buyers of the pangolin.
They arranged to meet the accused person at Manica Skyview Hotel to finalize the transaction.
When the second accused stepped out of a Toyota Aqua, detectives invited him into their vehicle where he charged $6 000 in exchange for the pangolin.
The court heard that Machaya waited at a distance with a brown satchel. Once the price was agreed upon, detectives revealed their identities and searched the accused persons, recovering a
pangolin hidden in a brown sack inside the satchel.
The accused persons were asked to produce a permit authorizing pangolin possession but failed to do so, resulting in their arrest.
The pangolin weighing 4.2kg and valued at USD $5 000 was fully recovered.
