According to Matabeleland South police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele has revealed that ZIMRA officials acting in concert with veterinarians recently destroyed over 19 000 chicks that had been smuggled by two men from South Africa. The two men, Admire Ndlovu of Mwenezi and Prince Gumbo of Dulivhadzimu suburb in Beitbridge are now both in police custody.

Our team on patrol intercepted some suspects after smuggling chicks into the country.

The matter has since been referred to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) for further management.
We understand that the chicks were destroyed by fire as per standard customs regulations.
Inspector Ndebele

It’s not clear what prompted the drastic, if a little heart-wrenching, incident but it was probably just the authorities being cautious and wanting to prevent the spread of diseases. Chicken is still the most favoured form of meat in Zimbabwe even in these hard times and often hatcheries in Zimbabwe fail to satisfy local demand.