Two Zezuru men from Semotswane village were this week slapped with a four-year jail term by the Francistown Magistrate Court for illegal possession of elephant tusks, while the third accused a 70-year-old man escaped jail by a whisker.
Joseph Kaisara (30) and Jaison Chitore (49) and his father 70-year-old Tsikirayi Chitore were arrested at Mmandunyane turn in Tonota last year October for illegal possession of two elephants’ tusks valued at P24 000.
Kaisara and Chitore pleaded guilty to the charge, while Senior Chitore denied any knowledge of the tusks. Eventually prosecution withdrew the chargeagainst him. The duo who was still searching for a buyer, told the court they took the ivory horns from dead elephants they found at Dikgatlhong dam sometime in July 2023.
Sentencing the duo who are first offenders, Principal Magistrate Kabelo Magetse said,” Botswana’s elephants with their tusks are as valuable to our nation as diamonds. Both critical lifelines that feed our people through tourism and mining. Given their significance, it is important for Botswana to fiercely protect these resources from those who steal them, whether through poaching or being in unlawful possession of the same.”
“The primary objective in this case is to deter unlawful possession. Issuing a fine would not only amount to a mere slap on the wrist for the accused persons, but would also demonstrate the court’s disregard for wildlife protection. It would highlight how the court’s sentence is grossly misaligned to the country’s conservation efforts”, said Magetse.
Francistown Magistrate said a hefty fine of P50 000 has and will never save wildlife. However, imprisonment sentence “removes the perpetrator from the environment allowing the wildlife space to thrive and breed freely”.
“To underscore that a fine is ineffective in cases involving endangered species, even the stock theft Act, the cornerstone of this court, has abolished fines,” continued the Magistrate.
In fighting and combating poaching of endangered species, Magetse said Botswana does not suffer from financial constraints but from the challenge of combating anti-conservation of offenders. “Therefore, the sentence in this case should focus solely on protecting conservation efforts and eliminating fines.”
