Tanzanian kingpin in court for trafficking rare plants

A Tanzanian national, who is suspected to be the kingpin in plant-trafficking ring, and her three co-accused from Namibia will appear in the Opuwo Magistrate’s Court today for a bail hearing.The 29-year-old Diana Mashiku from Tanzania and Namibians Veisiruaije Tjavara (25), Jenniter Simataa (37) and Tjivinda Unatavi (31) were arrested between 21 October and 10 November in the Okondjombu/Puros area of the Kunene Region with 46 Adenia pechuelii plants, known as ‘Elephant’s Foot’, which they allegedly harvested from the wild without a permit.They already made their first court appearance on 13 November; however, a bail hearing did not take place and the case was postponed to today.According to environment ministry spokesperson Romeo Muyunda, they’ve seen an increase in cases of this nature.“This case is one of many where international syndicates use Namibian enablers to persuade local community members to find and harvest the plants for a small fee.”He said the plants are then smuggled across international borders to be sold to plant collectors for substantial amounts.In the last two years, authorities have seized 666 indigenous plants, excluding illegal timber, in efforts to fight this new wave of wildlife crime.“A staggering 430 of the confiscated specimens were Adenia pechuelii, involving 16 criminal cases and the arrest of 37 suspects.”Muyunda said most of these arrests were a result of intelligence-led investigations spearheaded by the Blue Rhino Task Team, which comprises several branches of police working alongside the ministry’s investigations unit.Major breakthrough“I would like to encourage the community members of Khorixas, Sesfontein, Puros and Okondjombo, where these protected plant species are illegally harvested, to report to the authorities any suspicious movement in their area,” Deputy Commissioner Paavo Iiyambo, head of the crime investigation division in Kunene, said.Muyunda added that in many cases, kingpins operate from outside the country and use Namibians to carry out the poaching and trafficking operations at great personal risk.“The apprehension of alleged kingpin Mashiku is therefore a major breakthrough for Namibian authorities that are intent on disrupting organised criminal syndicates.”Mashiku has been charged for contravening the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA) and the Forest Act.Contravention of POCA carries heavy sentences of fines up to N$1 billion, up to 100 years’ imprisonment or both.Her Namibian co-accused have been charged for contravening the Forest Act, which carries fines of up to N$8 000 or two years’ imprisonment, or both.Muyunda said after suffering from prolonged periods of drought, plant trafficking is something communities in Kunene are ill-equipped to handle.“Out of desperation, some community members have accepted the risk of undertaking the illegal harvest and transport of plants in return for the small change offered by the criminal syndicates.”In demandMeanwhile, the future of the slow-growing Elephant’s Foot plant hangs in the balance.“This strangely shaped dwarf tree earns its name by growing almost as wide as it is tall. It occurs only in rocky areas of north-western Namibia and south-western Angola.”Muyunda said, unfortunately, this interestingly-shaped tree is in demand among international plant collectors, a demand that criminal syndicates are only too happy to supply.“Since nursery-grown plants do not grow the same way as their wild counterparts, almost all Elephant’s Foot plants found in the international trade were harvested from the wild.”He added that all confiscated plants are sent to the National Botanic Garden - managed by the National Botanical Research Institute - for care, rehabilitation and replanting in the wild.However, the replanting process is difficult and expensive, and many plants are likely to die due to the damage done when they were harvested, the spokesperson said.High alert“The ministry takes these crimes against our people and biodiversity very seriously,” executive director Teofilus Nghitila said.“These criminals will not stop until our plants are all gone, and there is nothing left for Namibians to benefit from and enjoy. We simply cannot let that happen. Therefore, I charge all our officials across the country to be on high alert to apprehend perpetrators.”

Tanzanian kingpin in court for trafficking rare plants

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-19

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Tanzanian kingpin in court for trafficking rare plants

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Namibian Sun 2025-03-19

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