At least 41 elephants were killed last month by six poachers after they poisoned a water pond with granules of cyanide at Hwange National Parks. The six suspects have been arrested and are assisting police with investigations.
They are Sipho Mafu (55), Misheck Mafu (46), all of Tsholotsho, Nqobizitha Tshuma (25), Farai Chitsa (34), Tinashe Deroy Sengwayo (22) and Alexander Ngwenya (42) all of Bulawayo.
National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi on Wednesday confirmed the arrests. He said last Tuesday, game rangers at Hwange National Park who were on patrol came across the poachers’ spoor and followed it.
“They followed it up until they reached a water pond which had been poisoned by granules of cyanide,” he said. “The rangers continued following the spoor until they found 41 elephant carcasses which had been dehorned and they were in an advance stage of decomposition.”
Chief Supt Nyathi said the game rangers later arrested Sipho Mafu and recovered 17 elephant tusks that had been hidden in the national park. They were then led to the arrest of Misheck Mafu who was also near the scene.
Investigations carried out revealed that Farai Chitsa was the buyer and he was the one supplying the cyanide to the two in order for them to kill the elephants. A trap was set leading to the arrest of Chitsa, Tshuma, Sengwayo and Ngwenya after they had gone to the national park to collect the tusks.
They were arrested last Saturday and their vehicle, a Nissan Caravan which they wanted to use to ferry the loot, was impounded by the police. Chief Supt Nyathi warned the public to desist from such activities and said the force would not hesitate to arrest anyone found on the wrong side of the law.
He urged the public to inform the police on any criminal activities.
Cyanide poisoning occurs when a living organism is exposed to a compound that produces cyanide ions (CN-) when dissolved in water. Common poisonous cyanide compounds include hydrogen cyanide gas and the crystalline solids potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide.
If cyanide is inhaled, it causes a coma with seizures, apnea and cardiac arrest, with death following in a matter of minutes. At lower doses, loss of consciousness may be preceded by general weakness, giddiness, headaches, vertigo, confusion, and perceived difficulty in breathing.
