Court Reporter
A Gokwe traditional healer was arrested after he was found in possession of two cobra snakes in Kwekwe Central Business District yesterday morning.
Polite Ncube (26) of Gono Village, Chief Mkoka, Gokwe who was arrested after a stop and search routine yesterday appeared in court today before Kwekwe Magistrate Mildred Matuvi who remanded him to tomorrow after he sent the court into shivers alleging that the ZimParks attendant who took his snakes could not sleep due to nightmares.
Ncube told Magistrate Matuvi that he was given the snakes by his late grandfather as inheritance for healing people purposes.
“Those snakes belonged to my late grandfather, I use them to dream about healing herbs which I give people who consult me. When the ZimParks guys took my snakes I told them they will anger my grandfather. One of them came to me this morning before court and told me he could not sleep because of these snakes,” said Ncube in court.
He also told Magistrate Matuvi that he was not supposed to separate with the snakes as he is always with them wherever he went.
According to the State represented by Munodawafa Njovo, Ncube was arrested on 25 March 2024 along Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road in Kwekwe.
He was carrying a black satchel which was searched by police officer on patrol and they found two cobra snakes in the satchel.
The snakes were taken by ZimParks.
Ncube is being charged with contravening Section 59 (1)(b) of the Parks and Wildlife Act Chapter 20;14 that is removal of any animal or any part of an animal from any land or from one place to another on any land.
He pleaded guilty to the charge.