Poacher remanded in custody

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

A 41-YEAR-OLD man from Chinhoyi, Clever Hiyani, appeared in court on charges of illegally hunting a zebra and possessing parts of its carcass valued at approximately US$3 000.

Hiyani was charged with contravening the Parks and Wildlife Act, specifically for unlawful hunting and the removal of animal parts.

He appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Ruth Moyo and was remanded in custody, with a bail application scheduled for Friday.

According to Prosecutor Mrs Mandirasa Chigumira, the incident occurred on February 26, 2025, at around 9:30 am. Hiyani, accompanied by his cousin Francis Saidi, allegedly trespassed into Haka Game Park in Msasa, Harare, by circumventing the northern side of the game fence in search of wildlife to hunt.

During their illegal hunt, Hiyani discovered a dead zebra and severed all four legs from the carcass. Game park scouts, who were patrolling the area, became suspicious after noticing zebra intestines hanging from a tree. The scouts mobilised an armed response team with tracking dogs.

During their pursuit of the poachers, they encountered Hiyani and his accomplices in the act of skinning the zebra. Hiyani allegedly fired a shot to scare off the scouts, prompting them to retreat temporarily.

Despite this, the scouts continued their search and found a camouflage satchel bag that Hiyani had abandoned during his escape. The bag, along with the recovered zebra meat, was kept as evidence.

Additional items recovered included a raincoat, two screwdrivers, an iron file, and a firearm certificate belonging to Hiyani, registered under Marumahoko Village Headman Musona, Chief Magonde-Obva in Chinhoyi.

Detectives from the CID Minerals, Flora, and Fauna Unit in Harare arrested Hiyani on March 17 after receiving tips that matched the particulars on the firearm certificate. Upon questioning, Hiyani admitted his involvement in the illegal hunting alongside Francis Saidi, detailing the events leading to their confrontation with the game scouts.

Officials from Parks and Wildlife confirmed that the recovered carcass was indeed that of a zebra, further solidifying the charges against Hiyani.