i think he meant Don Heath and Ganyana, not Don Causey!!!!!!

What ever anybody belives, Don Causey has my Phone No, Email adress etc, and the published report about my immediate family and I was WRONG.

Zim is settling down, and the rare incidences of foreign hunters meeting with militia seems to have died away completely, with the police being allowed to enforce reasonable law and order without undue political interference.

Don Heath
Editor, African Hunter Magazine
Chief Examiner, Zimbabwe Professional Hunters & Guides Association
Phone 263-4-572786/7
e-mail fishunt@zol.co.zw

My son and I returned from 21 days with HHK in the Omay South area, where we hunted from June 8 to the 28th, before spending two days in Vic Falls in debriefing. The Omay is a tribal trust area, so we were privy to much of the inside political manuverings. Mugabe even flew overhead one day in his helicopters to his rally in Siakobvu which we drove through several times. In a word, Yes, it is safe. My 18 year old son and myself had a bang up time, with four buff, kudu, leopard, and a ele bull with a 10 yd frontal brain shot. We had no worries and were fine, except when slightly concerned about elephant in close in the high grass. Be concerned in Joberg.

quote:

Originally posted by 500grains:
Don Causey is not Ganyana.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanahile:

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:

quote:

Apparently Don Causey had put out a notice that I was leaving the country/getting my family out a couple of months back. This was B/S. I and my family are here, nor have my wife and daughter been out of the country since the USA shows in January.

If I'm not mistaken, that was in reference to Ganyana.

I was under the impression (perhaps incoreectly) that they (Don and Ganyana) are one in the same...

Dan, the Don I was referencing was Don Heath, not Don Causey.

A PH friend of mine is living near Musina, he wouldn´t go to Zimbabwe now.

quote:

Originally posted by Sunshine:
A PH friend of mine is living near Musina, he wouldn´t go to Zimbabwe now.

Sort of hard to evaluate the credibility of this without (1) knowing who the PH is, (2) how you know this information, (3) why the PH feels that way, (4) whether the PH's feeling is based on first hand information or something someone told him, etc.

quote:

Sort of hard to evaluate the credibility of this without (1) knowing who the PH is, (2) how you know this information, (3) why the PH feels that way, (4) whether the PH's feeling is based on first hand information or something someone told him, etc.

Ditto...

Allot of the responses to these Zim threads are vague at best…

I wish anyone giving responses (positive or negative) would make sure they are giving the rest of us current, relevant, & concrete facts as opposed to vague, opinionated, & speculative guesses…

Matt V.

For what its worth, I have 4 contacts in relation to Zim that I have directly asked about Zim:

1. Wife of outfitter from my hunt in Nambia last May - "Zim is really, really bad right now".
2. Missionary friend from college currently in South Africa. No way he goes to Zim.
3. Engineer now living in the US from RSA that I know through work that still has family in RSA - no way he goes to Zim.
4. A guy I met on my hunt in Namibia. He grew up in Zim but has since left. He wanted to take his wife to Africa, but wasn't comfortable going with her to Zim, so they were in Namibia. He did say that if he was by himself he might have gone to Zim.

I started out with an open mind and was more or less trying to find a reaseon to take the prices in Zim, but the above was about all it took for me to book in Mozambique.

It all boils down to pucker factor. Some guys get tight when a bad wind blows. Other guys head out with a hurricane coming in. Most folks are somewhere in the middle.

I have been trying to get my hunting buddy to go to Zim for two years now. Had we gone in any time in that stretch we obviously would have been just fine. Will it go to Hell tomorrow? Who Knows? But I would go tomorrow .

I’ll offer up our most recent experiences in Zimbabwe from July 6-12 as tourists for information and background to the Forum. My wife and I finished our safari in Botswana and went to Zimbabwe for some sightseeing after the hunt. This was not our original plan but for reasons too detailed to go into here, ended up deciding to keep the commitment and went there in “tourist modeâ€. We spent three days in Hwange National Park at the Sikumi Tree lodge where we were the only ones at the lodge. We were transferred from Chobe with driver/escort from a travel company from Vic Falls. We had one inspection stop that was simple and quick with no issues or complications. Sikumi can handle approximately 30 tourists and had a number of people coming in at the end of our trip, but the staff there did comment that the number of cancellations were up. We were waited on hand and foot, went on game drives and just generally relaxed post safari. The Zimbabwe staff was impeccable in their service, very friendly and we never felt uneasy or unsafe.

From Hwange we transferred by road up to Vic Falls where we spent three nights at Russell Caldecott’s Ultimate Guest Lodge. While in Vic Falls we toured the falls, went to the craft markets, stopped at a package store, had dinner at a boma restaurant, did the “touristy†elephant ride, canoed down the Zambezi and generally interacted with the Zimbabwe populace. We had absolutely no trouble (if you don’t include one cheeky hippo who felt we were invading his home waters on the Zambezi) other than issues with currency. We made the mistake of not going into Zimbabwe with enough US dollars and had to search to find a place to cash some traveler’s checks....far too difficult in our experience.

I would list my impressions and overall thoughts on Zimbabwe from this somewhat limited (again non hunting) experience as follows:

• Zimbabweans are some of the friendliest people we have ever met…everyone smiles and greets you pleasantly.
  
• Vic Falls was busy, tourists around but not overwhelmingly so
  
• There are clear signs of degeneration of the infrastructure-roads need paving, buildings need painting and repair, stores have limited stock, cars in bad shape on the road, Vic Falls airport was hurting with both air traffic and lack of passenger facilities like food etc
  
• There is a boundless hope in the Zimbabwean people-everybody used the word “soon†in a longing way…soon Mugabe would go, soon there would be change, and soon our lives must get better….
  
• Zimbabwe is an incredibly diverse country from the small portion that we saw in Hwange and Vic Falls with lots of game. We saw sable, a billion impala, elephants, warthogs, bush pigs and more
  
• The financial infrastructure is in shambles as we all know. IMO the currency is essentially worthless-use US dollars if you go there. Have cash as there is no other way to get money from banks, ATM machines, credit cards etc.
  
• Be prepared to be asked for money from everyone. Even a dollar or two made them smile.
  
• The issues are internal within Zimbabwe, foreigners (and their money) are very welcome. We met a few other Americans traveling there and they also stated they had no problems except financial related.
  
• Try to have someone locally accompany you if you decide to sightsee-not necessarily for safety but more for translation help, fending off the pushy craft vendors and offering a bit of street smarts.
  
• I would go there again especially just to go and hunt…I would be prepared for a few challenges if you decide to sightsee.
  

I’m happy to offer more insight or details if you are interested via PM.

Thanks

Paul

I'm taking my family to Zim in October. Friends who we are visiting in Zimbabwe say it is perfectly safe. This will be my fourth visit and my wifes second.

Honestly, some of you here need to show a bit more intestinal fortitude.

Code 4, do you think Australia is planning on any travel sanctions? I willing to bet ZM$5 Quadrillion dollars (how much is that maybe $10US)that the US will implement a travel ban before the election. I am booked for 09 at this time of year and I am holding little hope of it happening.

crl

Paul Reed,

Very well written report and your recommendations are spot on. When I speak to my guys on the ground in Zim they say the same things you did. The bottom line is that tourists and tourist hunters are very welcome and well taken care of.

Mark

It will be interesting when one day perhaps overnight, it all changes, how the pieces fall.

crl,

I don't think the Australian government will implement travel bans. They do offer very cautious travel warnings, which if we listened to, would mean we would never leave the house.

Have any foreigners been abducted or murdered in Zim lately ? Last I heard of was some overlanders in 1984 (?).

quote:

Originally posted by Code4:
crl,


Have any foreigners been abducted or murdered in Zim lately ? Last I heard of was some overlanders in 1984 (?).

An australian Tourist was murdered at Vic Falls a few years ago (three or four years ago), as was an Australian father by having Acid poured down him.

quote:

Originally posted by L. David Keith:
"I'll tell you what, the idiots at TSA and United Airlines in Dulles were much more frustrating and scary than anything we encountered in either Zimbabwe or South Africa."

Amen Brother!!! Idiots is an understatement. I had a NINE hour delay because of United's incompetent staff at Dulles. What would take a child 3 minutes to compute, print out and handle, took Mo-weana, Curlyette and Larry Jo an hour and thirty Frickin' minutes!!!! We missed our plane because I didn't know what my returning ammo weighed. I finally said I took 10 lbs, shot 5 lbs and have 5 lbs left. Her head began to spin and blew all over the counter. Meanwhile, Larry Jo called Shempette over and after speaking in tongues, decided to get advice from the wizard of OZ. He wasn't in so she took a tea break. Obviously she had to wait for the Mare's milk to sour, so we missed our flight. Then, after all this manure, I get hassled and told I can't transport 3 guns. Hell, I just came back from Africa with 3 guns. Who changed their mind while I was gone? I paid $50 extra because I was over weight by 7.5 lbs. This was done at Nashville when I left home....3 weeks earlier! Now Mo-weana has to go get a waiver. By now I'm turning red with blue spots. Flame comes out my ears. My client is in the next corner giving them Hell. "Supervisor" he demands. He gets one: it's none other than Shempette! Lovely......Nine hours later we board a Piper Cub and flew home.

TSA guys at Dulles....well, we met a good one. He even loaned us his personal cell phone to call home. No one was there; they were on their way to the airport to pick us up! Can't say anything bad about the ones we encountered. They were fine and doing their job. Next time I'll take a raft across the pond. GRRRRRR.....I'm still p/o'd.

Affirmative action is alive and well in the USA. Much worse than anything you will find in Zim.

As this article points out, all internet connections of suspicious individuals, (which likely includes all whites), and phones and cell phones are tapped. The secret police are looking for anyone reporting negatively on Zim, so if I lived there, I would be extremely cautious about posting anythng negative on the net.

http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/Zimbabwe/0,,2-11-1662_2361466,00.html

Jetdrvr

You have alot more "faith" in the "farces of lo and Odour" (as our information minister Not-so-Bright Mutonga) described the police the other day.

One infamous western journalist whom the government have promised to kill if he should ever re-apear in Zim came round for dinner the other night and if you read Muckrakers colum in the Independent it will restore your faith in general African incompetance.

Bob might like emails scanned and phones listened to, but most of the service providers are still awaiting the government to release the several million US$ they need for the equipment so that they can provide the government with access to incomming and out going mail!

The phones are less secure because most of them route through an operator. any cell phone starting with 263-912 or 913 is safe from eaves dropping.

Here's, in part, why uncle Bob doesn't want to leave. His home in Harare:

Lawn doesn't look all that healthy.