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Ex-cop sentenced over cyanide poisoning of elephants
18 Nov 2013 at 16:02hrs | Views
THE former police officer from Jotsholo in Lupane District who poisoned 23 elephants to death with cyanide, working in cahoots with five villagers, was yesterday slapped with a four year prison sentence.
The gang killed elephants valued at $1,15 million.
The former policeman, William Ncube (53) also saw his accomplices Sikhumbuzo Sibindi, of Fatima Village and Elvis Nkomo of Bhangale Village all from Chief Mabhikwa each being sentenced to the same number of years.
They were being charged with violating some sections of the Environmental Management Act.
Hwange magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa, however, remanded Ncube to a latter date on another case of illegally possessing ivory where he is being charged alone because he pleaded not guilty.
Mkhululi Ncube (36) and Johannes Munkombwe (29) were each slapped with 10 year prison sentences for illegally possessing ivory.
The two were further slapped with four years each for violating the EMA Act and were also ordered to compensate the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority $850 000 being the value of 20 elephants they killed.
The poisoning took place between August last year and last month at Ngamo Forest and the elephants they killed together with the tusks were valued at $1,15 million.
Ncube was implicated by his accomplices as the supplier of the cyanide. On the other hand, Ncube told police investigators that he was introduced into the act by some people some of them in Government departments.
The five mixed cyanide with water and put it in buckets which they deposited in the bush where the elephants drank.
Mkhululi Ncube and Munkombwa received an undisclosed quantity of cyanide from Ncube and using the same modus operandi, killed 20 elephants and took away 34 tusks.
About 5.67 kg of cyanide was recovered at Munkombwa's homestead while 4kg was recovered at Ncube's homestead buried in a kraal. Sibindi, Nkomo, Mkhululi Ncube and Munkombwa said Ncube had promised them money. Ncube is being represented by Mr Elvis Mashindi of Mashindi and Company Legal Practitioners.
A statement by an official from the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority which is included in the record showed that a total of 149 jumbos have been poisoned and killed by poachers from February this year to date.
The gang killed elephants valued at $1,15 million.
The former policeman, William Ncube (53) also saw his accomplices Sikhumbuzo Sibindi, of Fatima Village and Elvis Nkomo of Bhangale Village all from Chief Mabhikwa each being sentenced to the same number of years.
They were being charged with violating some sections of the Environmental Management Act.
Hwange magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa, however, remanded Ncube to a latter date on another case of illegally possessing ivory where he is being charged alone because he pleaded not guilty.
Mkhululi Ncube (36) and Johannes Munkombwe (29) were each slapped with 10 year prison sentences for illegally possessing ivory.
The poisoning took place between August last year and last month at Ngamo Forest and the elephants they killed together with the tusks were valued at $1,15 million.
Ncube was implicated by his accomplices as the supplier of the cyanide. On the other hand, Ncube told police investigators that he was introduced into the act by some people some of them in Government departments.
The five mixed cyanide with water and put it in buckets which they deposited in the bush where the elephants drank.
Mkhululi Ncube and Munkombwa received an undisclosed quantity of cyanide from Ncube and using the same modus operandi, killed 20 elephants and took away 34 tusks.
About 5.67 kg of cyanide was recovered at Munkombwa's homestead while 4kg was recovered at Ncube's homestead buried in a kraal. Sibindi, Nkomo, Mkhululi Ncube and Munkombwa said Ncube had promised them money. Ncube is being represented by Mr Elvis Mashindi of Mashindi and Company Legal Practitioners.
A statement by an official from the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority which is included in the record showed that a total of 149 jumbos have been poisoned and killed by poachers from February this year to date.
Source - Byo24News
