(Last Updated on January 21, 2016 by Editor)
ZIMBABWE – China Nanchang Engineering Private Limited Company’s public relations officer appeared in court facing allegations being part of a syndicate illegally dealing in ivory.
Nesbert Mukora, 46, appeared at the Harare magistrates’ court charged with fraud.
Mukora was not asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Elijah Makomo.
It is alleged that he acted in connived with George Seremwe and Shepherd Gushe, Joseph Chitambwa, James Mackenzie to acquire six elephant tusks.
Reports are that they later sold the tusks.
Allegations are that sometime in June last year, Mukora took two Chinese nationals, Cong Yulling and Dong Anmin to his accomplices saying that they had a hunting quota which could accommodate the six tusks which they wanted.
Reports are that they sold the tusks to the Chinese at a cost of US$45 000 and US$30 000 was paid as deposit.
George Seremwe is said to have engaged Mackenzie and Chitambwa, who are professional hunters, to appear as if they hunted three elephants which had the tusks.
On June 6 Seremwe allegedly registered four tusks in the name of Dong Anmin and it was said to have been facilitated by Gushe.
It is alleged that the registrations was not properly done.
Reports are that they were paid US$60 000 and shared among themselves.
In a bid to conceal their ‘deals’ Seremwe is said to have applied for hunting permit, which authorises him to hunt one elephant.
Seremwe also reportedly applied for two more permits on June 10 and he was granted.
Acting from the misrepresentation the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority exported the six tusks as if they were acquired by Seremwe’s Nzou Safaris in Muzarabani.
Investigations by Muzarabani Rural District revealed that the accused had never hunted an elephant since its inception.