Hunter bolts with ‘fortune’ - by Chrispin Inambao


From The New Era
June 25, 2010


WINDHOEK – A South African hunter has disappeared with a fortune that belongs to hundreds of cash-strapped villagers in the Caprivi Region, where he won a contract to hunt elephants, lions, buffaloes and leopards.

Other game hunted by the fugitive, whose trickery could only worsen the plight of these rural communities, included hippos, crocodiles and duikers.

A recent New Era investigation has discovered that the hunter owes two conservancies in Caprivi in excess of N$700 000 in hunting fees.

Morgan Samupwa, the Manager of Balyerwa, a conservancy located between Mudumu and Mamili national parks, both endowed with a staggering array of wildlife, yesterday said the hunter-turned-fugitive owes the conservancy N$136 000 from an elephant hunt. The manager of Wuparo Conservancy, Cebens Munanzi, confirmed that the hunter, a sharp shooter with skills akin to a sniper who, under the name of Kuzuma Safaris, gunned down elephants, hippos, buffaloes, kudus and lions for wealthy clients, owes the conservancy N$600 000.

Speaking at a ceremony at Balyerwa last year, the Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, tongue-lashed and threatened to “blacklist” uncouth professional hunters, who ruthlessly deprived conservancies of hunting fees.

Namibia’s conservancy legislation, the Nature Conservation Amendment Act of 1996, enables rural communities to register conservancies for the purpose of sustainable utilisation of wildlife by selling curios and basketry products and trophy hunting.

Government also introduced the Human Wildlife Self-Reliance Scheme through which communities, whose crops are devoured by hippos and elephants, will have a means to offset crop and livestock losses from ruinous nocturnal activities of wild animals.

The hunting camp and the tourism lodge and the scenic traditional village in Balyerwa Conservancy provide jobs to 62 villagers from Samahiya, Nongozi, Kazwili, Mambali, Lyanshulu and Sauzuwo, among numerous others, who benefit through sustainable use of wildlife and trophy-hunting and other tourism-related activities.
During the next hunting season, Balyerwa Conservancy has been authorised to hunt six elephants.

One of the elephants will be for the conservancy’s cultural activities, six hippos, of which one will be for “cultural activities”, and another for their chief.

Ten buffalos will be hunted, eight of which will be for trophies, one whose venison will be distributed to villagers for their pots, while the other one will be for the chief. Two leopards will be hunted, and the authorised kill of a single lion is guaranteed to rake in an income of N$92 000 for the community. There will be guaranteed income of N$16 000 from one of the crocodiles that will be hunted for Balyerwa Conservancy where hunting quotas for warthogs, roan and sable antelope have been granted in 2010.

Contacted for comment, Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, said he was not aware of the disappearance of the South African professional hunter.

Ben Beytell, the Director for Parks and Wildlife Management, to whom Shangula referred New Era, is on leave and his deputy, Colgar Sikopo, was attending a meeting. None of the conservancies have a clue where the hunter has absconded to with their money.

$90k US, that has to hurt.

Uhhhh........does he have a NAME??????

quote:

The manager of Wuparo Conservancy, Cebens Munanzi, confirmed that the hunter, a sharp shooter with skills akin to a sniper...gunned down elephants, hippos, buffaloes, kudus and lions for wealthy clients

I am sure the story will come out, but regardless, what a load of crap a statement like this is.

sounds like someone didn't get their kickback....

Well, it didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure this one out. Could it be that Kuzuma Safaris and Ras Safaris of Elliras, South Africa, are one and the same? It appears to me that they are.

http://rassafaris.blogspot.com...hunting-safaris.html

Hmmm, Anton and Hugo Ras, now where have I heard those names before???

Oh yes, now I remember. I was told that Hugo Ras was the commanding officer of Dawie and Janneman Groenewald when they were in the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Now everyone here remembers Dawie and Janneman don't they? And Janneman's (then) wife, Terrrresssa Groenewald Hagerman.

The blonde whose ass all those drunken old fools at the SCI fundraisers thought they would be following around the bush for two weeks???

Remember them?

Maybe you remember them better as: OUT OF AFRICA.

Cheers,

~Alan

Wow! Note to self, don't get on Alan's bad side.

I searched earlier, but couldn't find who this was in Namibia, now we have a good idea. Can't say I'm surprised though!!

Any friend or ally of OUT OF AFRICA is on my bad side by definition.

And, that includes everyone on this forum who has pitched up in the past claiming how they were friends with OoA, how much OoA had done for the hunting industry, demanding 'evidence of any crimes', and then squealing how OoA was being wrongly trashed because of jealously, envy, etc.

I was even surprised when one individual even parroted a direct quote out of the Newsweek article calling it a 'whispering campaign'. It seems to me that perhaps someone's masters at SCI gave them their marching orders.

What kind of whispering campaign contains an full blown, multi-page article in Newsweek, that also made every animal rights website on the Internet?

What kind of whispering campaign involves over 25 complaints to the SCI 'ethics' committee, which were quashed by their lawyer Kevin Anderson, who also happened to be the chairman of the so-called ethics committee.

What kind of whispering campaign fills the pages of this very forum on a regular basis.

Whispering campaign my ass. The only whispering going on is among the friends and allies of Out of Africa, wondering what they are going to do when their meal tickets get punched, and their sponsors and clients in the upper echelons of SCI get slapped with Lacey Act convictions.

The Feds got nothing but time and money. This is not going away anytime soon.

But SCI must hope it will, otherwise why did 'President-Elect' Anderson get shelved for another year, and some other lackey slithered into the top spot? Maybe by next year we will all forget all the crimes that were committed, and the people who enabled and protected the perpetrators.

I'm sure you are all going to forget about it, aren't you?

Cheers,

~Alan

I'm just a nobody....

But I nominate the 2 posts above by Alan Bunn as posts of the year....

Alan.. it sounds like you are kind of hoping that the Fed's do start proceedings against all of theose hunter clients??

And it sounds to me like you are kind of puckered up by the thought.

What dog does some Aussie have in this fight?

By speaking up for Out of Africa, it appears to me that you are cut from the same cloth as them.

But to answer your question, no I don't hope anything. I know what the end game is going to be.

quote:

The blonde whose ass all those drunken old fools at the SCI fundraisers thought they would be following around the bush for two weeks???

He sounds bitter!

quote:

What kind of whispering campaign involves over 25 complaints to the SCI 'ethics' committee, which were quashed by their lawyer Kevin Anderson, who also happened to be the chairman of the so-called ethics committee.

That explains a lot of bad things I have heard about the SCI so called "ethics" committee.

In fact, any time someone mentions the SCI ethics committe at a hunting camp, every single PH presence says something which is anything but complimentary about them.

This is a very sad situation from an orgenization that is supposed to protect our hunting heritage.

Where's the little graemlin that's struggling to keep his hands over his mouth to stop himself saying what he really wants to say when you need him!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by dinsdale:
I'm just a nobody....

But I nominate the 2 posts above by Alan Bunn as posts of the year....

[/QUOT

100%!

Alan, you legend!

Matt, I don't think Alan wants anyone to start proceedings against anyone other than Out of Africa. And quite right too - I think it is great that these rascals are finally being publicly exposed for who they are. Before it was all up in the air, merely suspicion of skullduggery, but recent happenings cannot leave doubt in anyone's mind as to the kind of 'operation' OOA (or whatever they now call themselves)is.

My hat is off to you Mr Bunn.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by dinsdale:
I'm just a nobody....

But I nominate the 2 posts above by Alan Bunn as posts of the year....

I'll second that and add his recent post on the OoA thread onto the nomination list.

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:
Alan.. it sounds like you are kind of hoping that the Fed's do start proceedings against all of theose hunter clients??

Matt,

I wouldn't say ALL by any means but as far as I'm concerned, those who booked/hunted with the company well knowing they were hunting seized land etc and therefore in breach of the Lacey Act bloody well deserve to be investigated and if found to be in breach of the act, prosecuted.

And the same goes for those SCI blokes who knew what was going on and turned a blind eye to it..... including the ethics committee.

Is anyone going to post a picture of The Blond...????

quote:

And the same goes for those SCI blokes who knew what was going on and turned a blind eye to it..... including the ethics committee.

Correction Steve,

ESPECIALLY the ethics committee!

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:

I wouldn't say ALL by any means but as far as I'm concerned, those who booked/hunted with the company well knowing they were hunting seized land etc and therefore in breach of the Lacey Act bloody well deserve to be investigated and if found to be in breach of the act, prosecuted.

And the same goes for those SCI blokes who knew what was going on and turned a blind eye to it..... including the ethics committee.

Interesting, those who knew they were hunting on "seized land" which I believe, was seized illegally, should be prosecuted under the Lacey Act? I would also venture to say that by far the majority of hunters would assume all was being done legally so if the net is spread a bit too wide you end up hurting a lot of innocent people in order to find out who "knowingly" did this. This quest for prosecution seems a bit reminiscent NAPHA and the Namibia leopard fiasco.

As for prosecuting the SCI people who may have known what was going on but didn't participate in it; well that would be a futile pursuit.

I think the take home message is that, sadly, you can't depend on SCI to filter out the crooks that display at their conventions. You have to get references, do your own interviews, use common sense and get information on operators from forums such as this one before booking with anyone.

Saeed,

You're quite right.... It should be ESPECIALLY the ethics committee.

Grumulkin,

The Lacey Act is a very wide ranging piece of legislation with extremely dire penalties and any US citizen who has hunted on seized land whether knowingly or otherwise can be prosecuted under it.

I'm not for a moment suggesting anyone who has unknowingly hunted such properties should be prosecuted because they were just scammed but I do believe those who knowingly hunted such land should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

When those lands were stolen from the rightful owners, it destroyed their lives and their livlihoods (to say nothing of those who worked for them) and in some cases, took their very lives.

Regarding your comment "As for prosecuting the SCI people who may have known what was going on but didn't participate in it; well that would be a futile pursuit".

I don't see why it would be futile. Surely the charge of concealing a crime (if nothing else) would be applicable would it not?

Frankly, I'd dearly like to see all those bastards involved in such crimes get their come uppance!

I would also like them to have their "come uppance" but I think it would be very difficult to prove in a legal sense that they were responsible for OOA's wrongdoing. As you said, those who knowingly or otherwise could be prosecuted under the Lacey Act. Once you open that can of worms, you could ruin the lives of many who hunted Africa in all innocence.

I met one new to Africa hunter in South Africa a number of years ago that was coming back from a hunt with OOA. He had a marathon trip to the hunting area in a smoke filled car and his hosts wouldn't stop overnight somewhere for rest even though he asked them to. They also provided, and charged him for, a videographer he never asked for and they came up with some "problem" animal (a lion if I remember correctly) for him to shoot that he couldn't really afford. The client was probably a party, and innocently, to a number of illegal acts.

As for SCI and their ethics committee; I doubt there is anything prosecutable in their actions unless they actually participated in illegal activities. The SCI membership ought to vote them out of their position but I don't see that happening soon.

I'm not a lawyer but would have thought if they knew about the illegal activities and did nothing, let alone concealed it by doing such things as dismissing valid complaints from members and/or continuing to offer booth space, the Feds could if they so wished at least investigate and possibly prosecute... but as I say, I'm not a lawyer.

I'd certainly like to think at least some could be nailed..... and with a bit of luck, time will tell!

Where is adqueen when we need her? LOL

I am absolutely opposed to OOA. I am no supporter. I hope they get locked up and out of the hunting business forever. Having said that, I don't understand how this issue was an OOA issue just because this prick that ran off without paying used to work with them in another profession. Did I miss something?

I am not a lawyer either. Hunting with those on the seized properties was a violation of US law if the operators were on the list of banned people published by the US government. That was pretty well publicized. However, I am not at all sure that it is a violation of the Lacey Act. The LA relates to taking game in violation of the hunting laws.

Whoever wrote that act must have paid by the hour because it wouldn't have been so damned complicated otherwise but I think you'll find that somewhere in the bloody thing, there's a piece that includes the banned list etc.

What I'd really like to do is find someone who has a proper understanding of the act and have them write a piece for our shakariconnection.com website explaining it in detail...... so if there's any volunteers out there??

You guys listen to what Alan writes in the above. He's write on. When the feds have sufficient evidence, they'll move forward towards prosecution and indictments will be handed up. That's WHEN.

Many of you might be saying, "What are they waiting for." These investigations, to hold up in court, take time. I'm certain at this point, that anything of a prosecutable nature, i.e tax filings, possible further Lacey Act violations, etc., are being investigated.

Coupled with the possibility, that an investigator could be an anti-hunter, the incentive builds to nail someone in the hunting world.

Stay tuned. The big whammy is coming.

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
Is anyone going to post a picture of The Blond...????

Didn't we see her on television shooting an elephant with a bow in Zimbabwe? Or was that someone else?

You can always try Google...

I personally am just shocked that this sort of thing could go on with a group of people associated with SCI.


Rich
DRSS

quote:

Originally posted by Don Edwards:
Is anyone going to post a picture of The Blond...????

Actually, a truly relevant picture would be of the Blonde's ass.

quote:

Originally posted by analog_peninsula:
Actually, a truly relevant picture would be of the Blonde's ass.

Why would anyone want to see a picture of her husband?

Now that was truly funny!

Over the years, I've met a half-dozen hunters in Johannesburg or on the plane on their way home from a thorough screwing from OoA. I felt really bad for them, but I also wondered how so many people were taken by them when it is so easy to find out about them with a little Google-fu.

quote:

Originally posted by Greg R:
Over the years, I've met a half-dozen hunters in Johannesburg or on the plane on their way home from a thorough screwing from OoA. I felt really bad for them, but I also wondered how so many people were taken by them when it is so easy to find out about them with a little Google-fu.

Well thats not totally true....

Google won't return any conversations about them from this site because the admin has them blocked....

A return for the Hunting Report? Well the first "free" one there from last year(#7338) says the hunter would go again....

I talk to a fair # of hunters who think if they are at the show there is a automatic endorsment and that everyone there is above board....

And as good as this site is,with industry insiders and such.....I can count on less than one hand the number of people I have mentioned it too who know about it.Many are SCI chapter big shots(and yes there is a good ol boy club at that level too) and have vast international hunting experience.

JMO

And here is something interesting too...

http://www.huntingreport.com/m...dventurous%20Safaris

Note the names on some of the reports.....lot of familiar ones I've seen before....

#1482 1878 1879 think they are positive???

Is this the one ya'll were lookin for? Teressa? Where I come from, this is referred to as a "chude"

I talked to someone a few years ago who had been approached by "safari company x" about a marketing relationship. Pointed out a few links on the Web, for educational purposes. Not everyone reads these boards and stays informed.

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:
Is this the one ya'll were lookin for? Teressa? Where I come from, this is referred to as a "chude"

It has been a while since the show, but I believe she bulked up to be able to draw the heavy bow for the elephant hunt...

quote:

It has been a while since the show, but I believe she bulked up to be able to draw the heavy bow for the elephant hunt...

I repeat, "CHUDE"...

quote:

Originally posted by 505 gibbs:

I repeat, "CHUDE"...

I have no opinion on the matter, just passing on the information.

quote:

Originally posted by dinsdale:

quote:

Originally posted by Greg R:
Over the years, I've met a half-dozen hunters in Johannesburg or on the plane on their way home from a thorough screwing from OoA. I felt really bad for them, but I also wondered how so many people were taken by them when it is so easy to find out about them with a little Google-fu.

Well thats not totally true....

Google won't return any conversations about them from this site because the admin has them blocked....

A return for the Hunting Report? Well the first "free" one there from last year(#7338) says the hunter would go again....

I talk to a fair # of hunters who think if they are at the show there is a automatic endorsement and that everyone there is above board....

And as good as this site is,with industry insiders and such.....I can count on less than one hand the number of people I have mentioned it too who know about it.Many are SCI chapter big shots(and yes there is a good ol boy club at that level too) and have vast international hunting experience.

JMO

Okay, so I went to Google and found out that you, sir, are 100% correct. That sucks.

I also found out that a Texas taxidermist who has probably never even been to Africa and is now trying to be a booking agent and outfitter advertises that he books for them on his web site. Oddly a client of mine whose brother is one of my best friends and clients, too, just booked a hunt with them, even though he's had nothing but great experiences on my hunts. They offered him a deal on his hunt because he is bringing a few friends and cut him a deal on his taxidermy so he decided to go with them instead.

Would you direct him to these threads or keep your mouth shut if you were in my position?

quote:

Would you direct him to these threads or keep your mouth shut if you were in my position?

If he is a friend, you should inform him of this.

I have never been to Africa and have no dog in this debate...BUT ...I have some questions!

* If OoA are such crooks as the evidence seems to point, how does SCI keep covering up for them?
* OK, if the SCI ethics committee has a lackey who is doing the cover up, then how does the rest of the SCI allow it?
* OK, if the SCI leadership allows this cover up, then how do the members of SCI allow this?
* Ok, so if the SCI members are turning a blind eye then what do US hunters do about it?


Why can't US hunter just fix SCI & OoA?