Ivory dealer fined for illegal possession of elephant tusks

A Zimbabwean has been fined R10,000 in Cape Town for unlawful possession of ivory.

Hawks spokesperson Zinzi Hani said Cosmus Ziwande, 38, was sentenced in the Cape Town magistrate's court on Thursday.

Ziwande, who is serving a seven-year jail sentence for tampering with essential infrastructure in Clanwilliam, Western Cape, in July 2021, entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the state.

The fine was wholly suspended for five years.

“He was arrested on May 14 2021 following information from crime intelligence that was operationalised by the Hawks’ serious organised crime investigation team in Cape Town,” said Hani.

“He was found in possession of a stash that included one raw elephant tusk  and some processed elephant ivory.”

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