The Sunday Mail
Kuda Bwititi
The net is closing in on poachers who murdered two Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers in Kariba last week.
Authorities discovered the bodies of the two rangers – who had been missing since last week – floating in Lake Kariba at the weekend after days of searching by a joint task force of Zimbabwe and Zambia law enforcement agents.
Evidence gathered so far indicates that the rangers were killed in the line of duty after initially apprehending the suspected poachers, who later managed to get away after a fight.
On Tuesday, Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo confirmed the death of the rangers, saying their bodies had arrived in Harare.
“The bodies were flown last night (Monday) for a post-mortem in Harare. Their identities will also be confirmed after the post-mortem,” he said.
Mr Farawo said the hunt was on for the suspects behind the murders, with Zimbabwe and Zambia officers working together to bring the culprits to book.
“We are on the ground carrying out investigations. In fact, the net is closing in on the suspects. We are working closely with our Zambian counterparts and other sister security organisations in the country.”
Zimbabwe is home to the world’s second-largest population of elephants and Kariba, which has a large population of elephants, is a prime target for poachers.
