Man in Court for Unlawful Hunting at Haka Game Par...

Man in Court for Unlawful Hunting at Haka Game Park

Munyaradzi Mashiri- Court Correspondent

A 41-year-old man has been arraigned before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts after he was caught allegedly poaching and mutilating a zebra carcass inside Haka Game Park.

Clever Hiyani appeared facing charges of unlawful hunting and is set to return to court on March 21, 2025, for his bail hearing.

According to the State, on February 26, 2025, at around 9:30 AM, Hiyani and his cousin Francis Saidi allegedly conspired to illegally hunt inside the Masasa-based game park.

The pair reportedly gained entry by slipping through the northern boundary fence and began searching for wild animals.

During their hunt, they came across a dead zebra and allegedly proceeded to cut off all four of its legs. Game scouts later discovered zebra intestines hanging from a tree, prompting them to investigate.

Upon reaching the area, they found the zebra’s carcass, believed to have been shot and killed a day earlier, with its front legs missing.

Acting swiftly, the scouts, armed with firearms and aided by tracking dogs, followed the trail and soon encountered Hiyani and his accomplices skinning the zebra. It is alleged that Hiyani fired a shot at the scouts in an attempt to deter them before fleeing the scene.

While pursuing the suspects, scouts recovered a camouflage satchel bag dropped by Hiyani, containing a raincoat, two screwdrivers, an iron file, a scotched jacket, and a firearm certificate bearing Hiyani’s name and national ID.

The matter was reported at Rhodesville Police Station. Following further investigations, detectives from CID MFFU Harare arrested Hiyani on March 17 after receiving a tip-off. His identity matched the details on the recovered firearm certificate.

Upon interrogation, Hiyani reportedly admitted to entering the park with another accomplice, Sabau, and cutting up the zebra carcass before fleeing from the scouts.

Officials from the Parks and Wildlife Authority later confirmed the recovered zebra carcass, valuing it at US$3,000.