Rare plant poaching case heading to court
A suspected plant-tracking kingpin, Diana Mashiku (29) from Tanzania, and her three Namibian co-accused are scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing on 21 December. Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda says there is a growing trend of criminal syndicates using locals to illegally harvest Namibia's unique plant species. "This case is one of many where international poaching syndicates use Namibian enablers to persuade local community members to nd and harvest the plants for a small fee. The plants are then smuggled across international borders to be sold to plant collectors for substantial sums of money," he says. Muyunda says Mashiku’s capture was a major breakthrough. Mashiku and her Namibian assistants - Veisiruaije Tjavara (25), Jenniter Simataa (37) and Tjivinda Unatavi (31) - were arrested for allegedly being in possession of 46 Adenia pechuelii plants, known Elephant’s Foot, which they allegedly harvested without a permit.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
NAM_2023_12_Rare plant poaching case heading to court_The Namibian.pdf | 121.36 KB |
This article is part of the Namibian Wildlife Crime article archive. The archive aims to:
» Search the Namibian wildlife crime article archive.