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Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)



Tanzania: Minister Dares Advisory Board to Solve Problems in Tourism Hunting Sub-Sector

By Finnigan Wa Simbeye, 12 October 2013



EARLIER this week while inaugurating his ministry's tourism advisory board, Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Ambassador Hamis Kagasheki challenged members to address problems crippling the sector.

"The private sector is complaining against several regulatory problems including taxes which you need to work on and advise me accordingly," he said.

One of the groups of people who will first knock at the advisory board's door is local professional hunters who have been complaining against being alienated by foreign employers dominating the subsector.

Simba Professional Hunters Association (SPHA) Chairman, Mr Hilary Daffi said since the onset of free market economies, the number of local hunters getting recruited by foreign firms has been diminishing because of lack of regulations to protect local jobs.

"Since the demise of Tawico (Tanzania Wildlife Company Limited), the number of local professional hunters has declined because there is no place to formally train and hire them," Mr Daffi who is also Director of Hilary Daffi Hunting Safaris, said.

Daffi pointed out that the problem is not foreign hunting firms but poor local regulations which have left a leeway for the former to exploit. "In my company all professional hunters recruited are local but the situation on the ground in general is different, however we can't blame private companies but rather our own regulations," he noted.

With over 100 local professional hunters as members, the association has been overshadowed by a much affluent Tanzania Professional Hunters Association (TPHA) which groups together prominent local and foreign professional hunters. The hunting tourism subsector is currently engraved in controversy after 85 per cent of hunting blocks currently leased to foreigners went to local firms thanks to an amended 2009 Wildlife Conservation Act.

According to the law, only 15 per cent of the blocks went to foreign firms which have since launched an offensive demanding a reverse of the law which is partly attributed to costing former minister, Mr Ezekiel Maige his job.

"It's undisputable that we need foreign professional hunters just like we need foreign hunting firms to enrich our local industry but what we are asking for is a level playing field," argued Mr Daffi who retired from Cotton Gordon Safaris as a professional hunter in 1999.

He joined professional hunting in 1988 while working with Tawico. Lamenting on the poor regulations governing the industry, SPHA member and veteran professional hunter, Mr Gervas Michael said the country's recruitment regulations are outdated and burden them more than foreign hunters.

"For example we are now required to pay TALA fees like tourist firms while we also pay hunting licensing fee annually," argued Michael. Professional hunters are required to pay 200 US dollars as fees to Tourist Agents Licensing Authority (TALA). Michael also questioned the procedure which requires local professional hunters to pay for new licenses once they get new employees within the same year.

"We pay 1,000 US dollars as licensing fees per annum but when one leaves an employer to a new one they are required to pay new annual fees, why?" wondered the veteran hunter who pleaded with government to introduce pay as you earn as an alternative.

Another SPHA member, Mr Mathayo Mkwathia said the discrimination is glaring and wanted the WCA of 2009 to extend its wings to professional hunting where foreigners are making super profits while local hunters struggle to make ends meet. "Last year, I never got work because firms were bringing in professional hunters from abroad," charged Mr Mkwathia who worked with Intercom Adventure during the 2009/10 season.

He pointed out that many hunting companies hire foreigners to conceal their misdeeds in the hunting blocks such as slaughter of infant animals. Local professional hunters earn between 100 and 200 US dollars per day and often get short trips of 10 days while their foreign peers earn up to 2,000 US dollars a day and often get a maximum of 21 days on the field. Foreign hunters pay 3,000 US dollars in licence fees and work permits per annum.

But Tanzania Hunting Operators Association (TAHOA) Secretary General, Mr Abdulkadir Luta dismissed the allegations saying some local hunters are incompetent as they lack both equipment and language skills to communicate with foreign tourists. "It is not true that local professional hunters are segregated.

Hunting is a profession like any other. For any professional to earn his keep, he has to prove himself to his employers and in this particular case to his clients, the tourist hunters," argued Mr Luta. He said for a professional hunter to be successful, it is necessary to publicise their work abroad and convince clients to book safaris with them, saying waiting for a hunting company to get the job and later transfer it to an individual is not realistic.

"There are Tanzanian professional hunters like Paulo Shanalingigwa, Michel Manthiakis, Danny Mc Cullum, Eliab Urioir and Ngalisoni just to mention a few who have excelled in the profession and are in high demand, you better talk to them and get the reality," Mr Luta added.

He further noted that it is important to note that members of Simba PHA joined voluntarily so are those who joined Tanzania Professional Hunters Association. "In fact some moved from TPHA to Simba. There are many Tanzanians in TPHA, If employment criteria was only being a TPHA member why should those in need of jobs not join TPHA to get work?" the TAHOA Secretary General noted.

Luta's observations were echoed by the ministry's spokesperson, Mr George Matiko who said the Director of Wildlife is simply enforcing what is provided for by law. "I invite you to come over so that the director can explain to you provisions of the law," he said while referring to the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2009.

Foreign PH's getting paid $2000 a day??Yea right!!

I agree. 1800 per day is max. Seriously where do these fools come up with this?

Jeff

Is someone talking Daily Rates or PH fees? - I'd like to know which outfitter is paying his PH a daily fee of $1800 ?

Sensationalism isn't just for breakfast anymore.

A lot of Hilary's hunts are sold for less than $2,000 per day. Total bovine excrement.