Fisher Matura
Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A HARARE man who was arrested while allegedly trying to smuggle 11,4 kilogrammes of gold through the Plumtree Border Post has been granted $1,000 bail pending trial. Fisher Matura, 33, is scheduled to appear in court on October 20 for trial.
Police intercepted him at the Plumtree Border Post on September 25 while he was allegedly trying to smuggle the gold valued at $422,775 into Botswana. His lawyer Tanaka Muganyi of Dube-Banda, Nzarayapenga and Partners told the court that his client was innocent.
“My client does not have any previous records and he is pleading not guilty to the charges that are being laid against him. The facts that have been presented before the court are not compelling enough to prove that my client did commit the offence,” the lawyer said.
Matura, the lawyer said, was prepared to abide by conditions that would be set for him by the court and to see this matter through to the end.
He said Matura was of fixed aboard, a father of five children and a farmer in Harare.
Stanley Chinyangaya, for the State, did not oppose bail.
Plumtree magistrate Gideon Ruvetsa granted Matura’s bail application on condition that he would report to Marimba Police Station on Monday and Friday between 6AM and 6PM.
He also advised Matura to reside at his home in Harare until the matter had been finalised and not to interfere with State witnesses.
Matura had appeared on initial remand before the same magistrate facing charges of possessing gold without a licence, smuggling gold and using a vehicle with a secret compartment for the purposes of concealing goods.
The court heard that police intercepted Matura, who was driving a Hyundai minibus, at the Plumtree Border Post exit gate on Friday last week.
Detectives from the minerals and border control unit indicated that they wanted to search his vehicle for gold upon which they discovered 12 bars and two cones of gold hidden inside.
They ordered Matura to produce a licence and an export permit but failed leading to his arrest.
The gold had a total weight of 11,476 kilogrammes and was valued at $422,775.
Smuggling of gold has become a common feature at the Plumtree Border Post as smugglers attempt to sell the mineral in South Africa.
The Police Officer Commanding Bulilima-Mangwe District, Chief Superintendent Gideon Zulu, recently said a total of 64 kilogrammes of gold had been intercepted at the border within a short period of time while being smuggled into Botswana.
The alleged smugglers who have all appeared at the Plumtree Magistrate’s Court and are due for trial have pleaded not guilty to allegations of smuggling the yellow mineral.
Francis Maranjesi and Nathan Mnaba who work for Danny Mining Claim in Kadoma and were arrested for allegedly smuggling 8 kilogrammes of gold valued at $304,545 into Botswana indicated that they had secretly stored the gold in their vehicle’s fuel tank so that they could deliver it to Fidelity Printers.
Alan Courtney Rory who is a mine manager of Big Boom Mine and his employer, Michael Brian Stone, who were also arrested for trying to smuggle 6,2 kilogrammes of gold valued at $241,282 into Botswana also denied the allegations.
Jame Ray Tudhope who was also intercepted at the same border while trying to smuggle 28,5 kilogrammes of gold valued at $970,000 into Botswana also denied the allegations.
He was found in possession of 76 pieces of gold bars hidden in a secret compartment in his vehicle.