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Court Reporter

THREE men accused of illegal possession of four elephant tusks worth US$6 426 they were caught carrying in Harare’s Avenues last month, have been released on bail of $150 000 each by the High Court pending trial before a magistrate.

Pastor Simbarashe Nyoni, Makwenha Nyamayevhu and Rodreck Nyoni are charged with acquiring, transferring, possessing or selling raw, unmarked ivory without a permit. Only the High Court can grant bail for this offence they were told when they recently appeared before Harare Magistrate Mrs Yeukai Dzuda.

Through their lawyer Advocate Method Ndhlovu, the three applied for bail before Justice Never Katiyo who granted them $150 000 bail each coupled with stiff conditions.

Charges against the trio arose on August 6 when Detective Assistant Inspector Mucharuona of CID Braeside was tipped off that the three were in possession of elephant tusks in the Harare Avenues area. By 11am, he had teamed up with other officers from CID Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit and went to Fife Avenue Shopping Centre along Leonid Brezhnev Avenue for surveillance. 

The detectives allegedly spotted the trio with a big white sack and intercepted them, searching the bag and finding the four tusks. The three failed to produce a licence or permit authorising them to be in possession of the unmarked ivory.