A POSTOLIC Movement Advent Mission church leader Ranganai Kande has appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts after he was illegally found in possession of ivory.
Kande, who is jointly charged with Tatenda Marufu and Judah Madamombe, was not asked to plead when the trio appeared before Harare magistrate Tafadzwa Miti, who remanded them in custody to August 26.
The three were advised to apply for bail at the High Court.
It is the State’s case that on August 9, detectives from Central Investigations Department Minerals Flora and Fauna, Harare, received information that there were three men who were in possession of ivory at Glen Norah B Shopping Centre and were looking for buyers.
The court heard that one of the detectives posed as a potential buyer before luring Madamombe to his car at Glen Norah High 1 School.
Madamombe allegedly led the detective to Glen Norah B New Stands where they met Kande.
A fee of US$14 000 was reportedly agreed before Madamombe called Marufu to bring the ivory from a nearby bush.
Marufu allegedly came holding a brown sack and placed the ivory in the back seat.
Other detectives who were watching from a distance arrived on the scene and asked to conduct a search before recovering a pair of ivory in the sack.
The suspects were asked to produce a licence or permit authorising them to be in possession of the ivory and they failed to do so, leading to their arrest.