Munashe Maphosa, a student at Midlands State University (MSU), has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being found guilty of possessing a pangolin skin unlawfully. Maphosa, along with co-accused Oswell Chingara, faced charges in connection with the illegal possession, while Vincent Sigauke remains at large.
The conviction followed a full trial where Maphosa denied the accusations. Prosecutors successfully presented evidence showing that the duo was apprehended by detectives from the CID Flora and Fauna Unit, who had set up a sting operation to recover the pangolin trophy.
According to court proceedings, the trio arranged to meet an undercover detective, CID officer Assistant Inspector Banhi, in Harare’s Central Business District to sell the pangolin skin. Negotiations took place at the corner of First Street and George Silundika Avenue, culminating in an agreement to sell the skin for US$6,000.
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Upon reaching an agreement, Maphosa and Chingara retrieved the pangolin skin from a nearby store and presented it in a suitcase to Banhi. Subsequently, when Chingara handed over the suitcase to Sigauke, who then revealed the pangolin skin wrapped in a black and yellow overall, plainclothes officers intervened and arrested Chingara and Maphosa the (MSU) student
At the police station, the accused failed to produce any permit or license authorizing the sale of the pangolin skin. Presided over by Magistrate Ruth Moyo, the case concluded with Maphosa’s nine-year jail sentenceHome – ZiMetro News
