A Zimbabwean national has been sentenceed in South Africa after being arrested for tr@fficking pangolins.
Francis Shereni (45) stood trial at the Mankweng Regional Court in Limpopo, where he faced charges related to the possession of pangolins, cruelty to animals, and violating immigration laws.
His arrest took place in May 2021 on Church Street in Polokwane, where he was caught attempting to sell a pangolin alongside an accomplice. While the other individual managed to evade capture, Shereni was found guilty of the offences brought against him.
Throughout the trial, Shereni maintained his plea of not guilty. However, a witness presented by the state testified that Shereni possessed a pangolin in Polokwane in 2021, housed within a steel cabinet with sharp edges.
Following the revelation that Shereni intended to sell the pangolin, authorities intervened and rescued the animal. The pangolin was discovered in a dehydrated state with injuries to its scales.
In pushing for a harsh sentence, Advocate Steven Muavha emphasised the prevalence of such offences in the region and urged the court to impose deterrent penalties. He further highlighted the constitutional duty to safeguard the environment at all costs.
Consequently, the court handed Shereni a five-year jail term for the possession of a pangolin, alongside two-year sentences for both cruelty to animals and contravening immigration laws. These sentences were to be served concurrently, with the primary count carrying the five-year term.
This is not the first time a Zimbabwean has been caught trafficking endangered animals in South Africa.
In 2022, a Secunda Regional Court in Mpumalanga slapped Tichaona Chifamba, 43, with a 10-year jail term. In 2021, the South African Police Service received a tipoff that a man was attempting to sell a live pangolin. They followed through and arrested him in possession of the endangered animal
Source iHarare
