https://www.zimbabwesituation....lodge-owner-in-soup/



Safari lodge owner in soup

November 18, 2023 11:04 AM


Source: Safari lodge owner in soup –Newsday Zimbabwe



A TOP lodge owner has been dragged to court for entering a wildlife estate without authorisation.

Chewore Lodge owner William Terrence Kelly appeared yesterday before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi also for another charge of theft as well as unauthorised access to a computer.

On August 10 this year, professional hunter Cliffton Walker submitted his hunting permit to hunt and kill a lion and leopard in the Big Five Concession (Chewore North) from that day to September 2.

Walker was then assigned Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) ranger Manoti Mukotowa to monitor the hunt so that the hunter would abide by the conditions of the hunting ethics.

Walker then killed three hippopotamuses and set baits at strategic points as instructed by the rangers.

The next day, Walker set up a bait using a hippopotamus hind quarter at a point about 450 metres west of an airstrip, about 11km from the Kapirinhengu Field Station and about 8km from Chewore Lodges.

He also set up a Bushnell motion sensor camera adjacent to the hanging bait.

On a daily basis, Walker would check the bait and extract data from the motion sensor camera.

On August 14, Walker and his team shot and killed a lion at the bait site.

They left the bait intact as well as the camera as they waited to kill a leopard.

The next day, Kelly reportedly unlawfully entered the safari area where Walker had set a bait, according to the prosecution. He chopped down the hanging bait from the tree and took the Bushnell motion sensor camera and went away.

Later in the afternoon, Walker’s back-up comprising Luis Muller and ZimParks ranger Shingirai Sitima went to the bait site and discovered the offence.

They alerted Walker, who then reported the matter to the ZimParks officer-in-charge.

Investigations were carried out and Kelly was arrested.

On August 18, Kelly was found in possession of the Bushnell motion sensor camera. Kelly was remanded in custody to Monday next week when the court will determine if he is a proper candidate for bail.

Investigating officer Detective Guidemore Saruchera, from the police’s Minerals Flora and Fauna unit, opposed bail saying Kelly has known record/previous conviction. He also said the accused has pending cases at court.

Saruchera said since the day crime was committed, Kelly was evasive and was only arrested after a raid, hence his chances of absconding were very high.

The prosecution says it has eight witness lined up to testify against Kelly, and if he gets bail, his chances of interfering with them is high considering that they reside in the same neighbourhood and some of them are his employees.

Saruchera said they expect to have completed investigations by November 31, 2023. He said after committing the crime, Kelly fled to Harare. He added that Kelly could also easily sneak out of the country because he resides just close to the border and operates a boat cruise company along the Zambezi Rivers.

Dzidzai Josiah Bofu prosecuted.

I'm not lying... when I see a headline from Zimbabwe about someone being in soup, a whole different scenario pops into my head.

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
I'm not lying... when I see a headline from Zimbabwe about someone being in soup, a whole different scenario pops into my head.

They are using proper English!

Unlike you ex-colonialists!

Who positively kill the English language!

You say ex colonialists.

We say winners. 2-0

So I'm guessing Terrence Kelly is an anti-hunter and did this to disrupt the hunt?

What an ass. Glad they caught him & are doing something about it.

https://www.zimbabwesituation....erator-up-for-theft/



Safari operator up for theft
May 15, 2024 10:28 AM
Source: Safari operator up for theft –Newsday Zimbabwe



THE trial of a safari operator charged with stealing motion cameras that were left at bait commenced yesterday.


William Terrence Kelly, the managing director of Suscaden Investments, a company that owned Fishery Concession in the Zambezi Valley was being represented by Everson Chatambudza when he appeared before Harare magistrate Appolonia Marutya.

The State alleges that on September 8, 2017, Kelly’s company signed a lease agreement with the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Parks Authority) for operating safari tourism activities.

It is alleged on August 10, 2023, a professional hunter Clifton Walker submitted a hunting permit to kill a lion and a leopard in the Big five Concession (Chewore North).


On the same date, Walker was assigned a Parks Authority game ranger to guide him in abiding by the permit.

The professional hunter killed a hippopotamus and set baits at strategic points with the guidance of rangers.

Walker allegedly also set up a motion sensor camera to the hanging bait.


It is alleged that on August 15, 2023, the accused unlawfully entered the safari area where Walker had set the bait, chopped down the hanging bait and took the motion sensor camera with its 32GB memory card.

On the same date, Walker, his colleague Luis Muller and ranger Shingirai Sitima proceeded to the bait site and discovered the theft.

Walker later made a police report leading to the discovery of the gadgets from the accused person.

In court yesterday, Kelly denied the charges saying the place where the offence is alleged to have occurred is a no-hunting area and is leased to his company.

Kelly submitted that in terms of the lease agreement entered into by Parks Authority and his company in September 2017, hunting is not permitted in the leased area, and the company has to ensure that no hunting takes place.

He submitted that there has been illegal hunting within the area leased to Suscaden.

He claimed to have reported the illegal hunting to authorities.

Kelly said he recovered the camera sensor as an exhibit and sent it to Parks Authority.

He said Parks Authority officers refused to accept the camera, but went on to report him at Kanyemba Police Station where he was charged.

He said the matter was referred to Guruve Magistrates Court and the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe declined to prosecute.

The trial continues.

quote:

The trial continues.

I’m told there is lots more to this than is reported…as usual in Zim.

https://allafrica.com/stories/202405160477.html

Zimbabwe: Company Director in Court Over Illegal Hunting

15 MAY 2024
The Herald (Harare)
By Prosper Dembedza
Herald Correspondent

Businessman William Terrence Kelly, whose company owns a fishery concession in the Zambezi Valley, has appeared in court facing a charge of illegal hunting and another of stealing from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks).

Kelly, the managing director of Suscaden Investments, is accused of violating the Parks and Wildlife Management Act by hunting illegally and stealing motion cameras left at a bait by Zimparks.

Represented by Mr Everson Chatambudza, Kelly pleaded not guilty to both charges when he appeared before Harare magistrate Mrs Appolonia Marutya yesterday. In denying the charges, Kelly said while the area in question was leased to his company, Suscaden, by Zimparks and was a no-hunting area in terms of the approved plan for Chewore North, the illegal hunting was not conducted by his company.


Kelly submitted that in terms of the lease agreement signed between Zimparks and Suscaden in September 2017, hunting was not permitted in the leased area and Suscaden had an obligation to ensure that no hunting took place in that area.

He said there had indeed, been illegal hunting in the area leased to Suscaden from as far back as October 2022 and he had been reporting the illegal hunting to Zimparks but no action was taken.

Mr Chatambudza said: "He (Kelly) followed some tracks and found a hunter's bait on a tree and a hide from which animals attracted by the bait could be shot.

"He made a report to two Zimparks rangers at Chewore Lodge and asked them to investigate the issue but they declined to take action saying they could only act on the orders of their boss."


Mr Chatambudza said Kelly then sent a WhatsApp message to the rangers' supervisor telling him that there was illegal hunting in the area.In his defence, Kelly said he could not ignore the illegal hunting as he had an obligation to ensure that the terms of the lease agreement were followed.

He said he went back to the bait and recovered the camera as an exhibit and sent the camera to Zimparks offices where an officer refused to accept the camera.

After a while he was called to Kanyemba Police Station where he was charged. He said the matter was referred to court at Guruve but the National Prosecuting Authority declined to prosecute.

Kelly said he was shocked when in 2023 police officers from Bindura took him to Kanyemba reportedly on the instructions of a senior police officer.

Sounds to me that:

1- There might be a poacher
2- There might be an anti-hunter
3- The Zim authorities might have executed multiple leases that say different things. Would that surprise anyone?

Just left Zim last night, was a very few miles where this took place and heard quite a bit about it. Other lease holder is a very politically powerful person…

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Sounds to me that:

1- There might be a poacher
2- There might be an anti-hunter
3- The Zim authorities might have executed multiple leases that say different things. Would that surprise anyone?

N.3 Fits the bill.

Kelly may be anti hunter but in fairness to him you only have to look up the name, Billy Rautenbach, (the owner of Chewore North) on Wikipedia to find out all you need to know about this case. Billy only allows one hunt a year on Chewore North and you have to pay for the entire quota, all the cats, jumbos, the lot. Good luck Mr Kelly!

quote:

Originally posted by the Pom:
Kelly may be anti hunter but in fairness to him you only have to look up the name, Billy Rautenbach, (the owner of Chewore North) on Wikipedia to find out all you need to know about this case. Billy only allows one hunt a year on Chewore North and you have to pay for the entire quota, all the cats, jumbos, the lot. Good luck Mr Kelly!

BINGO!!!