A BULAWAYO man has been arrested after he was found in
possession of two live pangolins and Zesa copper cables in his house.
Welcome Moyo, of Cowdray Park, pleaded not guilty to
unlawful possession or keeping two live pangolins without a licence as defined
by section 45 of the Parks and Wildlife Act, when his trial started before
Bulawayo regional magistrate Sithembinkosi Mkandla yesterday.
He was remanded in custody to February 27 as he awaits a
ruling on his application for discharge after the State closed its case.
Two witnesses, Detective Shingirai Pfakacha and Joshua
Taruvinga, a loss control officer with Zesa Holdings, testified for the State.
In his application for discharge filed by his lawyer David
Mhiribidi, Moyo said the pangolins and the copper wires did not belong to him,
as the rooms in which they were found
were being rented by another person, with whom he shared
the house.
“It’s submitted that the witnesses’ evidence does not take
the State’s case anywhere at all, especially in view of the fact that, from day
one of investigations, the accused had
indicated to the investigation team that he was not the
only person using the house,” Mhiribidi said.
“Besides him and his girlfriend, a certain Marashi
Takundwa, alias Moyo, was the one renting the spare bedroom from where the
pangolins were recovered.”
Detectives from the Flora and Fauna section at Bulawayo
Central Police Station last week received a tip-off and searched the house,
where they discovered the two pangolins and copper cables weighing about 75kg,
leading to Moyo’s arrest. Newsday
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