By Staff Reporter
A Chipinge Magistrate has sentenced a ranger employed by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) Chipinge Safari to twenty year in prison for unlawfully hunting and killing a black male rhinoceros and disposing its horns.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe told the court that on the 12th of October 2022 at 0700hrs the Officer in Charge of the Zimparks Chipinge station received information from a ranger on patrol that there was a black rhino which had been shot and killed along Chindimayi River in the reserve.
Police investigations led to the arrest of Johane Guzha (37).
Evidence presented before the court proved that Guzha killed the rhino and removed the horns which he gave to Dickson Guzha, Tendai Zirema and Voster Masasa to sell them.
The value of the horns is USD120 000 and nothing has been recovered yet. The accused person was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment and he was ordered to compensate Zimparks of USD120 000 for the horns.
