https://www.newzimbabwe.com/go...imparks-up-for-sale/



Govt puts Zimparks up for sale

15th July 2019 News Headlines

By Alois Vinga

GOVERNMENT’s push to privatise loss making parastatals has moved a notch up after putting the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) up for sale.

As part of its efforts to turnaround the economy, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration had indicated it was to dispose of its shareholding in most State entities most of which have been bleeding the country dry.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told a breakfast meeting last week that government is now looking for a suitor for the country’s wildlife sanctuaries management authority.

“We are also looking for investors for Zimparks, we decided to sell off the equity or at least enter into some kind of joint venture arrangement. It has fabulous locations but the facilities are run down and we hope this move will increase efficiency,” Ncube said.



The authority manages one of the largest estates in the country, about 5 million hectares of land which makes up around 13% of Zimbabwe’s total land area. Most of the parks under its management are located in ecological regions four and five offering little in terms of agriculture.

Zimparks is charged with managing the country’s diverse wildlife on both private and communal lands. Private landowners can utilise the wildlife on their land but are still accountable to the authority for the welfare of the animals.

Government according to Ncube is also looking for suitors to join it in resuscitating Willowvale Motor Industries and the corruption riddled Allied Timbers.

Other State owned entities that government is reducing its ownership include the People’s Own Savings Bank (POSB) and the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) for which Ncube said deals are close.

“In Silo Foods Industries government is willing to reduce its stake to around 26%,” he said.

Will the chinese buy Zimparks? As far as the other state owned intities replacing government bureaucrats with business people surely will be better unless the chinese buy up everything.

Firstly, be careful of NewZimbabwe and virtually all the rest of the local media. They are tabloids of the lowest order and would embarrass even William Randolph Hearst.

Secondly, realtime conservation initiatives in Zimbabwe have been in the hands of the private sector for a long time now. The biggest problem with that is that there is very little cohesion. Conservancy/operator A doesn't necessarily work freely with conservancy/operator B, and National Parks is regarded as an afterthought.

The value of Zimparks is that it is currently the statutory authority for conservation. Things have gotten a little out of hand with regard to the private sector, especially in regard to enforcement. An entity like Zimparks is necessary to coordinate operations nationwide.

So IF something like this were ever to happen, the Chinese buying in would indeed be a worse case scenario. IF.But unlike parastatals that have been "bleeding the country dry" (because they are grossly mismanaged, WITH government complicity), Zimparks is a cash cow, and ED knows it. You don't sell off the proverbial goose, because you then run out of golden eggs.

Could an entity with an anti hunting agenda be big enough to be a player?

The smartest thing Zim could do is give it back to the folks running the place before this lot took over... If you get my drift...