Last Updated: Tuesday, 31 May 2005
Prominent businessman nabbed on suspicion of poaching

Herald Reporter
POLICE in Beatrice on Sunday arrested nine suspected poachers, among them a prominent businessman, and recovered two rifles, 12 impala carcasses and a hare.

They also impounded four vehicles when they bumped into the poachers in transit near the Ngezi turn-off along the Masvingo-Harare Highway.

The businessman and owner of Dollasdale Farm, Martin Taremba, and the other eight are still in police custody.

Mashonaland East provincial spokesperson Inspector Darlington Mathuthu said the suspects had shot the animals in a farm and were arrested on their way to Harare at around 4am.

"Martin Taremba teamed up with eight other suspects, believed to be his relatives and went to the farm which he (Taremba) is the owner," he said.

He said they were armed with two rifles, which they used to shoot and kill the animals.

After killing the animals, they loaded them into two Isuzu KB trucks, a Defender TDI 110, and a Nissan Patrol.

The nine, however, ran out of luck when they were stopped near Marirangwe

turn-off by police officers manning a roadblock.

A search was carried out, leading to the recovery of the carcasses.

The nine were arrested and they were taken to Featherstone Police Station.

Pardon my ignorance, it is almost 7 in the morning as I read this, hung over from Memorial Day and I just woke up. Do I take it that they were arrested for shooting animals off a farm they own? Doesn't seem right, does it?

I am sure that the police at the road block could have walked 1 mile in any direction and arrested a truck load of poachers. The government will not stop the natives from raping the land, but anyone else is gonna get it.