By Takudziridzwa Nyama
Robert Lithlathla, a 58-year-old man from Chief Sengwe in Chiredzi has been sentenced to 9 years in prison for possessing ivory without a permit.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe states that game rangers from Gonarezhou National Park received information to the effect that the accused person was in possession of Ivory.
Armed with that information, they teamed up with police officers and went to Davata Market where the accused person had a sack tied to his motor cycle carrier.
The police officers conducted a search and recovered an unmarked elephant tusk weighing 3.5 kg and an eland horn with a combined value of USD55000.
The accused person failed to produce a permit allowing him to be in possession of the ivory.He was arrested and found guilty of the offence.