Pangolin Skin Vendor Jailed 9 Years
A 34-year-old Buhera man was slapped with a nine-year jail term by a Chipinge magistrate after being found in possession of 274 pangolin skins.
Munduna Marayiti of Deure Business Centre in Buhera was arrested by police last week and hauled before Chipinge magistrate, Poterai Gwezhira, last week on Friday.
Marayiti was convicted on his own guilty plea and sentenced to nine years in prison for contravening Section 45 of the Parks and Wildlife Management Act.
In pleading for clemency, Marayiti told the court that he inherited the skins from his late grandfather who was a traditional healer from Mozambique. He said:
Your Worship, I was given these skins after the death of my grandfather, who was a traditional healer in Mozambique. I am not a poacher, I am pleading for forgiveness.
According to prosecutor Gift Bikita, Marayiti was arrested by detectives on July 27 while selling pangolin skins at Deure Business Centre.