via Hwange hunter’s trial deferred to November | The Herald October 7, 2015
The trial of Hwange hunter, Theodore Albert Christian Bronkhorst (52) who was recently arrested for conspiracy to smuggle wildlife and unlawful movement of 29 sables from Hwange to Beitbridge en-route to South Africa, has been postponed to November 2.
Bronkhorst of 16 Bernfay Lane, Riverside, Bulawayo, is accused of conniving with three South Africans – Edwin Hewitt (49), Hedrick Blignaut (41) and John Herbert Pretorius (49) – to smuggle the animals worth $435 000 into the neighbouring country.
Through his lawyer Advocate Perpetual Dube, the accused successful applied for the case to be removed from remand arguing that the facts of the matter did not link him to the offence.
The trial was expected to be heard before Matabeleland South regional magistrate Mr Joseph Maveza in Beitbridge yesterday.
Bronkhorst, who has been formally charged with conspiracy to smuggle under the Customs and Excise Act and unlawful movement of animals under the Parks and Wildlife Act respectively, is out of custody on $500 bail.
Prosecutor Mr Blessing Gundani told the court that on July 13 this year, the accused imported 50 sables from Zambia to Zimbabwe. He then bred them at Msuna Ranch, trading as Bushman Safaris in Hwange.
On September 9, Bronkhorst allegedly connived with Hewitt, Pretorius and Blignaut to smuggle the animals into South Africa. Three South Africans have since been arrested and are expected to stand trial today.
Mr Gundani said the suspects agreed to smuggle the sables into South Africa through an illegal exit point along the Limpopo River.
He said Bronkhorst then obtained a movement permit from the veterinary offices in Hwange after misrepresenting that the sables were being moved to West Nicholson.
The court further heard that on the strength of the said permit, the three South Africans moved the animals to Beitbridge where they then hired one Thembani Sibanda of Makhakavhule Village in Beitbridge to assist them to skip the border via the Limpopo River.
They then went to an illegal crossing point near Nottingham Estate where they ran out of luck when their convoy of three vehicles got stuck in the riverbed leading to their arrest.
The South Africans were arrested by security personnel who were patrolling the border and they revealed during interrogations that they had been assisted by Bronkhorst and Sibanda to smuggle the animals out of the country.
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