FOUR Tsholotsho men yesterday appeared at the Hwange Magistrate Court charged with illegal possession of an elephant tusk and 456kg of cyanide poison.
by Nokuthaba Dlamini
The accused — Dyke Dube (66), Hloniphani Sibanda (33), Charleson Sibanda (27) and Heritage Ncube (21) — denied the charged and were remanded in custody to July 27 by provincial magistrate Sharon Rosemani.
The State alleges that on June 18 this year, a patrol team comprising of police detectives and rangers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority gathered information that the accused were in possession of ivory and cyanide.
When the team raided Ncube’s homestead, the latter ran away, prompting them to search his home.
They allegedly recovered one tusk and 456kg of cyanide in Ncube’s bedroom, leading to his arrest a few days later.
Ncube allegedly implicated his accomplices who were arrested on different occasions.
