Got my deposit in for Chewore North, Big Five Camp, heard about all the new work being done, and reconfiguring the camp, and this rolls up in today's news? Now what?

The Herald (Harare)
Zvamaida Murwira
Harare

RIVERSIDE Private Limited Company, which won the tender to run the Chewore North Safari Area last month for $14 billion, has so far only deposited $2 billion for the concession.

The company, which shocked the hunting industry as it had no known background in the safari business, has put up a payment plan with the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority that would see it paying the total amount before the start of the hunting season in April.

This follows the company's failure to pay the total amount within seven days as part of the conditions of the auction.

Discussions between the department and the company, fronted by Mr Kenny Ngirazi, are still ongoing as the company, which would be making its debut in the lucrative hunting industry, failed to meet the seven-day deadline to pay the money.

However, the second highest bidder, Big Five, fronted by Mr Billy Rautenbach, is understood to have shown interest in the concession and is making efforts to raise the required money.

Sources in the hunting industry and Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, said Big Five, the former tenants of Chewore North, had not yet raised the required amount as well by close of business last Friday, throwing another lifeline to Riverside.

Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Retired Major Mbewe confirmed the failure by Riverside to raise the $14 billion within the given timeframe.

"The company has failed to pay within the seven days as stipulated in the conditions of the auction. It is my understanding that the winner had asked for some payment schedules, but the conditions of the auction was that he should pay in seven days failure of which it should be returned back to the auctioneers. Nothing has been finalised as yet and it is our hope that someone would come up with the money," said Maj Mbewe in interview.

A Riverside spokesman said the company had deposited $2 billion to demonstrate its resolve to pay.

"When we paid the deposit, our other funds were tied in other investments and we made frantic efforts to liquidate them and by the time we did that we were told that our seven days' grace period had lapsed," said the spokesman.

"We are really committed to pay this money. Our failure to pay in time is not just peculiar to our case alone because we are aware of other indigenous safari hunters who are still to complete their payment after winning tenders in other concessions. So it is our view that we are given time to pay and by the time the hunting season begins we would be through because we have the money."

Mark- who is holding your deposit and where is your deposit?
Try to get it back on the premise of this news. Certainly Big 5 knew they did not have the concession when they took your money.

This news cannot be very comforting, hope it turns out for the best for you.

John

I totally trust Ian Gibson. He has MORE than a typical deposit. I went ahead and pre-paid all the daily rates and the charter flight, so they've got a good chunk of change and the check already cleared my bank. I'm honestly not worried about getting screwed, I just hope that if there has to be a Plan B, it's as good or better than Plan A.

A lot to ask, but again, I've known Gibbo a long time, and I have a lot of friends in Zim who will help me if I need it. It's just frustrating to keep getting all these mixed messages.

Mark,

This is coming from a guy who's worked in the booking business in the past and reflects no ill will on your trusted hunting partner Ian.

When you step back and take the emotion out of the decision you will see that you need to get your money back.

The very best thing that can come from this is a compromise.

Of course you're a big boy and can do whatever you want with your money. But that is my nonemotional or monetary take on the situation.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Ganyana - What saith?

Hang in there Mark!

Parallel Post: https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1411043/m/621108416

No problem, I just booked another hunt instead. I will now be hunting lion, rhino & buffalo in South Africa.

It sounds pretty cool. You stay at a hotel in Joberg, then drive 30 minutes to the hunting "ranch" (approx. 200 acres). The daily rates are a bit high, but the outfitter said that I should be finished with the hunt in a day or two.

Tim

How accurate is the article?

The reason I ask is that from the article it sounds like Big Five did not have the area to begin with, since the winning bidder was Riverside. And, after Riverside could not come up with the cash, Big Five could not cover the amount of their second place bid.

If the reporting is accurate, I think Surestrike's advice is sound. Perhaps Ian Gibson was not in the loop on the dealings on the area.

Your money and your decision, but it sure sounds like Big Five did not have the goods to sell in the first place. That would really concern me. At least if you get your money back, you are in a much better position to assure that you get what you want.

Best of luck on your decision and your hunt.

This thread seems to contradict the info in another thread on Chewore N.:

https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=439101016#439101016

Hey Shumba,

If that's the way your hunting tastes have gone I could have provided that same hunt less than 200 miles from your HOUSE.

With a few of the right calls we should be able to set up a big 3 safari and have you back to the office by noon.

Yours in custom tailored safaris,

Kyler

Shumba

I have another offer for you when you get to Europe next time. Take an overnight in Sweden and 30 minutes from camp (my house) we will find a nice game park with free roaming animals (no chains). I can offer Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion, Cheetah, Tiger, Brown Bear and Donkey among with other smaller game. I can send you a map of the are so we can plan the hunt in advance step by step.


The hunt will be done with spotlight and by foot and no trophies can be exported. Pictures of the animals will be published in the local newspaper and likely on internet all over the world the day after the hunt.

Mark,

Regardless of whether Big 5 gets Chewore North (and I hope they do and you have no problems), why would you advance "MORE than a typical deposit"? Do they require that? While I have the same trust in my outfitter (Charlton McCallum safaris), my money will remain in my account earning interest until due as per my contract. Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanahile:
Mark,

Regardless of whether Big 5 gets Chewore North (and I hope they do and you have no problems), why would you advance "MORE than a typical deposit"? Do they require that? While I have the same trust in my outfitter (Charlton McCallum safaris), my money will remain in my account earning interest until due as per my contract. Thanks.

Because Ian asked me to. It makes it easier as all i need to do is settle up on the trophy fees in camp. It's not a significant enough amount of money to worry about collecting interest on it.

Most of my friends left Reno and made a stop in the UK, so I suspect once everybody has their feet on the ground in Zim, everything will get sorted out. As I've said before, when going on Safari, it helps to leave your "give a shitter" at home and kind of go with the flow. I'm sure everything will work out fine, and Ganyana's post makes me feel that much better.

I do think that Shumba was posting with tongue in cheek - but then, you never can tell about those Californians!

Yeah, that Shumba is a joker. I remember one time when we are a big National Sporting Clays Tournament, he fed his soft gun bag into the mechanical launcher and broke it, causing the entire event to stop and hundreds of participants to get all backed up at our stand while they tried to get it out..

He's always good for a laugh that guy!!

That's a low blow Mark.

I don't remember that being that funny (or deliberate) at the time. Maybe that's because I was the only one on that squad who cared about the scores.

Kyler

I thought it was very funny myself. Especially when everybody kept walking up and asking whose gun bag it was, and Tim would give a sheepish grin and say, "Um, that would be ME."

Unless my name was embroidered on the thing I would have been standing there saying, "YEAH, let's GET THAT GUY!"

As I recall you won the event, and then you and Tim took off. I had to collect all your prizes and money, and then Tim won every dang item on the auction tables, and I had to haul all his junk home too, including two cases of shotshells.

And to top it off some 12 year old girl beat me out of winning that SWEET .410 single shot by one point.

there are no low blows in Sporting Clays.