Elephant tusk, Zimbabwean dealer jailed in Botswana

An illegal migrant from Zimbabwe in Botswana who was caught trying to sell a P31, 681.70 elephant tusk was fined and jailed by a Francistown magistrate court last week.

Thabani Nkomo, 35, was sentenced to 12 months behind bars and ordered to pay a total of P5, 500 after he admitted to charges of illegally entering into Botswana as well as illegal possession of the tusk which is regarded as a government trophy.

Nkomo allegedly smuggled the mammoth horn weighing 20.7 kg into the country and was arrested sometime in June following a police tip off.

He was arrested and charged together with Mose Enoch a local man whose car was used to transport the tusk to a hotel where the duo were nabbed on a mission to meet a white man who was supposed to be the buyer.

Enoch pleaded not guilty. He would be challenging the charges against him regarding the same tusk which was allegedly retrieved from his car.

He told court that he would be engaging a lawyer to defend his case.

Before passing sentence Chief magistrate Gaedupe Makgatho lamented that dealing in government trophy was a very serious offence which was on the rise adding that stiff penalties could be the sole remedy to serve as warning to other people.

"While the accused man showed remorse and confessed to the crime which saved the court precious time it was vital to send a strong message that breaking the law does not pay," Magistrate Makgatho said.

The P5000 fine was for the possession of the tusk while P500 was for entering the country illegally, the magistrate explained.

He also ordered that the tusk be forfeited to the state and be kept in their custody since it would be needed as an exhibit in Enoch's pending case.

Inspector Pearl Nkele divisional prosecution north prosecuted.