http://allafrica.com/stories/201606130161.html


Tanzania: When Foreigners Undermine State

ANALYSIS

BUSINESS tourism is becoming increasingly competitive worldwide, complimented by a highly competitive business environment. In Tanzania, this competition is manifest in both domestic and foreign companies battling to find ways and methods to outwit their competitors.

This is quite common. Indeed, where there is no competition then it is also clear that there will be no output. However, there is uncalled for tension that has been initiated by Wengert Windrose Safaris Limited, a subsidiary of Friedkin Conservation Fund (Friedkin Family Tanzania) against the government of Tanzania, which needs to be overcome as it denies the country its much needed revenue.

Another company in this family is Tanzania Game Trackers Safaris Limited and Mwiba Holdings Limited. The company entered into skirmishes with the government since 2013 when the new hunting season began, especially when they missed a hunting block they had sought in a competitive tendering procedure.



The block, known as Lake Natron Game Controlled Area (North), was later changed to Lake Natron Game Controlled Area (East).

It was later allocated to Green Mile Safari Company Limited, which had won the tender. This particular block is at the centre of the whole controversy turning sour the relations between Wengert Windrose Safaris and the government to date, three years since the company missed out on the opportunity to own the block.

Under normal circumstances, a foreign company operating in the country, guided by Tanzanian laws, must comply with laid down laws and regulations. In case of any dissatisfaction, such a company is supposed to pursue their rights in the court of law.

However, even after seeking court action in several occasions claiming for rights to be allocated the block, its efforts ended in a bog. The company has now opted to engage in a battle with the government of the United Republic of Tanzania.



This tug of war was even shifted to the Congress of the United States of America, which was made to believe that the government was being unfair to the American company, and that laws were deliberately bent in favour of another foreign company.

It was for this reason that the Congress wrote a letter to President Barack Obama, accusing the Wildlife Division of taking away the block from Wengert and allocating it to another investor illegally. But this was not true! The fact of the matter is that the said company is owned by a Tanzanian.

Furthermore, the company did not want to tell the truth that the decision not to allocate the block to Wengert was reached by the blocks allocation committee and not the Wildlife Division.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism then allocates the block upon receiving advice from the allocation committee. The false allegations were presented to the Congress after their appeal to oppose allocation of blocks was thrown out.

Wengert Windrose Safaris have since gone to court several times but have in all cases hit a brick wall. Last week Wengert lost in yet another application for interim injuctive orders they filed at the High Court, pending an appeal which is before the Court of Appeal relating to a similar dispute.



The High Court's Commercial Division refused to restrain the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism from evicting Wengert from a hunting block.

It is the same company that once harassed arriving guests from a rival firm on grounds that they were the ones who established the airstrip in the block. This blatant violation of the country's laws by foreign investors must not be tolerated.

There have been efforts to urge the companies to operate in blocks which were legitimately allocated to them but their officials consistently continue to raise unfounded allegations against the government and other stakeholders.

According to official government information, Wengert Windrose Safaris, alongside other companies under Friedkin Family Tanzania have been using their staff and agents to conduct acts of sabotage against other tourist hunting companies and at the same time undermine the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism and other ministry officials, accusing them of making unlawful decisions.

I never thought hunting would sound like it should be on Jerry Springer.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
http://allafrica.com/stories/201606130161.html


Wengert Windrose Safaris Limited, a subsidiary of Friedkin Conservation Fund (Friedkin Family Tanzania).....Another company in this family is Tanzania Game Trackers Safaris Limited and Mwiba Holdings Limited...............


It was later allocated to Green Mile Safari Company Limited, .

I don't really know much of the details of this case. If memory serves me correct, this is what I know of the companies involved:

Friedkin Family and affiliated companies. Have invested $300 million in wildlife conservation in Tanzania over the years.

Green Mile. Shoots animals from moving vehicles. Shoots kori bustards. Runs down animals and runs over them with a vehicle. Separates the young from their mothers, catch and play with them. Let wounded animals suffer while they play with them for their amusement. etc.


Obviously the government of Tanzania should side with Green Mile.

In all probability, Friedkin did not grease the right palms.

(but isn't that the way it works the world over?)

Knowing nothing of the facts beyond the above, my instincts suggest:

The outfit didn't grease the proper palms in Africa. The government did a switcharoo on the name of a concession so that the negatively impacted party would pass on the concession thinking it was not the one they were interested in, or would bid on a concession that no longer represented the area which had game and which they desired to occupy.

Meanwhile, the cronies in the government colluded with Green Mile to get them the successful tender bid by renaming the good concession to a name that no one else wanted to bid on based on its name and falsely implied location.

I'm going to go with the above since it is Africa and this would be a logical fracas to suppose unless better facts emerge.

Wow!!!

On one hand we have the Friedkin Family Companies' blocks which are looked after better than any other blocks in Africa, are teeming with game (which makes everybody want them), many of which were brought back from utter devastation and on the other hand we have Green Mile Safaris, which we have all seen first hand of the devastation they wreak and in between we have a government heavily scrutinized by the USF&WS and frankly by the world for allowing its elephant population be almost annihilated country wide and even from the continent's largest reserve...the Selous and they want us to think the Friedkins are bad??? I am appalled that they have the nerve to write such an article!!! What utter fools the officials of the Tanzanian government must be!

What is even worse, they must think we are fools as well to believe such rubbish!

The Friedkin Family is recognized worldwide as cutting edge conservationists who put their money where their mouth is.

Who would blame the Friedkins from pulling out of Tanzania??? But, if they do, the Tanzanian wildlife and the rural communities will be the ones who suffer the most.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=edmca1dlrAw

For those who forgot who Green Mile Safaris were!

So sickening and heart wrenching!

D.Nelson