Man Jailed Four Years for Illegal Fishing and Wildlife Killing in Vwaza Reserve

The First Grade Magistrate’s Court sitting at Kazuni in Mzimba has sentenced 30-year-old Elijah Banda to four years imprisonment with hard labour for entering a protected area, possessing a weapon, and killing a wild animal without a permit.

According to State Prosecutor John Mabethi, who is also a Senior Assistant Parks and Wildlife Officer, the incident occurred on October 19, 2025, when Banda and two accomplices went fishing at Lake Kazuni inside Vwaza Wildlife Reserve.

Rangers on night patrol intercepted the group as they were leaving the reserve. While two suspects managed to escape, Banda was arrested with seven kilogrammes of fish and a mosquito net.

Banda pleaded guilty to all charges and offered no mitigation. Prosecutor Mabethi asked the court to impose a stiff sentence, citing that one of the offences carries a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment and that the act was committed during the fish breeding season using gear that trapped fingerlings.

In his ruling, First Grade Magistrate Cuthbert Phiri stressed that killing wildlife in protected areas endangers the survival of species and undermines conservation efforts.

He therefore sentenced Banda to one year and three months, four years, and two years for the three counts respectively  all to run concurrently.

The court also ordered that the fishing gear be destroyed.

Banda hails from Eneya Village, Traditional Authority Mpherembe in Mzimba District.