By Cathy Godfrey
KATIMA MULILO, April 26 – Five men accused of hunting in the Mayuni conservancy near Kongola in the Zambezi region in 2015 appeared in a special court in Katima Mulilo on Monday.
They were arrested in October 2015 for the unlawful possession of two firearms and hunting protected animals, a springbok, and two red buck.
Three of the accused Nyambe Sydney (40), Masuka Lawrence (62), and Maelekezi Michael (52) stood trial today while the other two accused Sinkumbwa Matheus (43) and Kachizongwa Postriech (53) had their case postponed to 9 May 2022.
Two of the accused Masuka and Maelekezi were charged with giving their firearms to their fellow accused, without a declaration to permit them to use, to which they pleaded guilty and were both sentenced to a fine of N$ 10 000 or 14 months imprisonment.
Nyambe and Kachizongwa pleaded guilty to count one of hunting protected animals and were both sentenced to a N$70 000 fine or three years in jail. On the second count of unlawful possession of firearms, Kachizongwa was sentenced to N$ 10 000 or 14 months in jail. Sinkumbwa Matheus pleaded not guilty on both counts and Nyambe pleaded not guilty on count two.
The vehicle that was used to transport the carcasses of the three hunted animals and the two firearms is to be forfeited to the court.
Magistrate Barry Mufana, in his closing statements, remarked that they should consider themselves lucky as the state prosecutor had asked for the maximum sentence on all charges, N$ 500 000 for count one of hunting protected animals. But he felt that such punishment was not fitting looking at the personal circumstances of the accused, who were mostly unemployed and had a lot of dependents.
But he did, however, want to send a message with this case that the public should refrain from hunting these animals as the tourism industry depends on them to attract tourists which boosts our economy. – Namibia Daily News
