140 animal skins seized

By Reason Mpofu

(FROM THE SUNDAY NEWS-BULAWAYO, NOV. 19)

POLICE in Bulawayo have seized about 140 different types of animal skins from freight company Maple Freight after discovering that the consignment did not have the proper documents to allow for export, Sunday News has learnt.
This comes amid an investigation by the Government into the safari hunting industry. The probe team which began in Bulawayo last week has now moved to Victoria Falls.
“As the investigations unfolded, a number of animal skins were found at one of the freight companies based here in Bulawayo. The consignment had been taken there by Mr Wayne Jardine, a professional hunter. Off hand, I wouldn’t say how far the case has gone but what I know as a matter of fact is that he was given a deadline to produce all the necessary documents that are needed, failure to which the law will take its course,†said a source privy to the goings-on.
As the probe widens, three people have so far been arrested and many others are under investigation.
The first to be arrested was Theo Bronkhorst, followed by Peter Leandras of Townshend and Butcher and Brigadier Ben Matiwaza, one of the directors of Lalapansi Safaris.
Brig Matiwaza appeared in court on Thursday and was granted bail.
He is facing charges of externalisation.
“Peter Leandras of Townshend and Butcher was last week arrested and is being charged for the illegal possession of nine lion trophies. Investigations are still underway,†said the source.
Leandras was detained at Bulawayo Central Police Station before his release last Saturday afternoon.
“Theo Bronkhorst briefly appeared at the Bulawayo Tredgold court on Saturday last week before he was released to allow the State to put their papers in order. The case against him is that the trophies he has did not tally with what was declared on the TR2 forms,†added the source.
Another operator who is under investigation is Jack Andrews of Gariya Safaris in Tsholotsho.
“Some leopard trophies and a lot of skins were also confiscated from Gariya Safaris and these are being kept at Tshabalala sanctuary,†said the source.

Probe into safari operators intensifies

By Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Reporter



THE net is closing in on safari business operators who are involved in illegal foreign currency deals as the inter-agency Anti-Corruption Taskforce intensifies a massive crackdown, a Cabinet minister said yesterday.
Safari hunting, potentially a lucrative source of foreign currency for the nation with the capacity to earn millions of United States dollars, has been hit by massive corruption.
Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana, the Minister of State for Anti-Corruption, Anti-Monopolies and State Enterprises, said the taskforce has unearthed gross misconduct in the safari business.
Arrests and prosecutions would follow soon, he added.
“A clear picture has emerged, showing that many elements within the industry do not think twice before sabotaging the economy of the country through foreign currency externalisations, plundering animals, birds and insect life, defrauding the public purse of due revenue and generally pursuing economic misconduct inspired by greed and personal aggrandisement,†said Cde Mangwana.
He added that such conduct has contributed to the significant rise in economic crime levels in the country, resulting in substantial foreign currency losses.
Cde Mangwana said the probe team has unearthed massive externalisation of foreign currency, falsification of exported trophy documents, destruction of records and obstruction of investigations, selling of trophies to locals in foreign currency and non-declaration of hard currency.
He added that there is also rampant deliberate falsification of figures and declarations on official forms, illegal hunting and poaching as well as many instances of missing invoices and sales records.
The inter-agency taskforce seeks to rectify the economic distortions in the industry.
“It is in light of these developments that the Anti-Corruption Taskforce has been deployed with specific instructions to account for perpetrators of economic crime in the sector countrywide.
“Arrests and prosecutions are going to escalate and the taskforce is instructed to leave no stone unturned,†said Cde Mangwana.
During the crackdown, the taskforce is mandated to search for and seize trophies.
The minister said the hunting and safari industry has great potential in earning foreign currency, hence it would be in the interest of the nation at large to be certain that the money earned by the industry is not corruptly acquired, misappropriated or laundered.
Last week the Sunday News revealed that a probe into underhand dealings recovered nine lion skins, three leopard skins and animal trophies in Bulawayo from players in the safari sector.

This hits home to me because Maple Freight shipped my Zimbabwe trophies. Last month, after 16 months, I finally got my buffalo and bushbuck capes and horns back from Zimbabwe, because of "African red tape??" Zimbabwe has some great hunting and is more affordable than it's neighbors, but long waits like I encountered in getting my trophies back, and seized trophies like Kathi's report will make me look to other countries for my next hunt.

If you will hunt with unregistered operators...if you go back through my posts over the last couple of years on dodgy Zim operators you will find three of the names mentioned in that report.

Any of our members out there that got burned by this?

I would like to hear how these guys operated, what got said and promised, and what not.....

And listen to people like Ganyana. Zim is still a great place to hunt! My heart bleeds for the injustice done to our industry in your country by the greedy buggers, Ganayana!

Best of luck

Ganyana: To save us all time in researching, which three?

There are actually another five that were arrested yesterday- how much fact and how much grabbing at straws remains to be seen but.

Ben Matiwaza, Took over Sengwa research area- Africa's largest wildlife research centre. In their first year they had an amaizing run of big elephant...becuase they were all collered and the radio tracking station on top of Ntaba Mangwe made that easy. If you read the book on the Genocide in Ruwanda Col Ben doesn't fare too badly (for a UN Peace keeper)

Wayne Jardine was banned by SCI for trophy irregularities back in 1997, and his license suspended by parks for several years.

Jack Andrews isn't a bad lad, but his paper work has always been sloppy and the association would never accept his membership

What about Theo Bronkhorst? Any comments on him?

I have known and hunted with Theo for over ten years and spent many many hours in the field with him as well as many days with his family over the years. I have found him to be an honest and ethical person and a superb hunter. If you take ALL the conditions and regulations that prevail in Zimbabwe today it's hard to see how ANY outfitter could even make ends meet following all the rules to the letter without charging much higher fees than they do. I know he has always tried to be meticulous in his paper work in the time I have known him. I have not been over in the last 2 years and can imagine things have gotten even worse than when I was last there.

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
I have known and hunted with Theo for over ten years and spent many many hours in the field with him as well as many days with his family over the years. I have found him to be an honest and ethical person and a superb hunter. If you take ALL the conditions and regulations that prevail in Zimbabwe today it's hard to see how ANY outfitter could even make ends meet following all the rules to the letter without charging much higher fees than they do. I know he has always tried to be meticulous in his paper work in the time I have known him. I have not been over in the last 2 years and can imagine things have gotten even worse than when I was last there.

Wife and I hunted with Theo two years ago and everything seemed right. Our trophies were mounted there, shipped by Maple Freight using sea freight, delayed in NY and etc, but they are here at the house. Hope it doesn't cost Theo his method of living. Enjoyed the time.

Don't know if I have been affected or not. I received an email from Maple freight saying that they would handle the shipping of my Sept 05 trophies but the latest has come that there is a problem.

I had been in contact with Theo and had been considering using him as my PH for my next leopard hunt. He had come highly recommended and I had heard nothing but good. Just wanted to find out what others knew about him, in light of the latest news coming out of Zimbabwe. Sounds almost like a set-up to me.

He's tops on Leopard and has one of the best dog packs there. He has a really good Leopard area in and around Turk Mine. I don't think you could do better. Hunting is one of the last areas for Mugabe to ruin in Zimbabwe and this may be his start to take over that.

I see the familiar name Wayne Jardine listed in the news article.

Jardine used to work with Basil Steyn and Co, whom also had/has a curio shipping business which was quite (in)famous.

He also had a concession in the Gwayi perhaps ending with Ganyana's mentioned "trophy irregularities" (interesting choice of words!). Or perhaps the death of an American partner on the Vic Falls road. Death by rifle bullet I believe.

Ganyana could shed a lot of light on some of this.

So Ganyana, what do you think, do you think some political strings will be pulled and this will all go away ?

They will all buy their way out of trouble. Bob just wants to make sure he gets his cut of the cash these guys have been taking in over the last few years. I can only speak about one on the list above....and am confident that some of the "Special Hunting Opportunities" were simply ways to pad his pocket. I am not trashing the guy....he is working the system...but I figured he would get caught some day. I feel sorry for all those people who paid for hunts that will never get their trophies.

Safari operator appears in court

Court Reporter

A BULAWAYO Safari operator, Retired Brigadier Ben Matiwaza, has appeared in court on allegations of understating foreign currency proceeds from his venture, prejudicing the State of more than US$200 000 in the process.

Matiwaza (59), of 95A Leander Avenue, Hillside and the director of Lalapansi Safaris along Robert Mugabe Way, was not formally charged with contravening section 5 of the Exchange Control Act, when he briefly appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Miss Loveness Chipateni on Thursday.
He was remanded to 25 November on $150 000 bail.
In addition to bail he was ordered to report on Tuesdays at the Criminal Investigations Department Fraud section and to reside at his given address.
He was also ordered to surrender his travel documents at the Clerk of Criminal Court.
The prosecutor, Mr Thando Ncube told the court that between 16 June 2004 and 3 November last year, Matiwaza as director of Lalapansi Safaris received foreign currency amounting to US$434 846 from different foreign clients. The forex was for hunting fees comprising daily rates and trophy fees.
However he only declared US$223 302 on the hunting return forms, (TRZ) thereby prejudicing the State of US$212 248 which is equivalent to $53 062 000 using the official rate of US$1 to $250.
He was arrested last week.

I need some help with this: is this a case of currency manipulation; i.e., exchanging usd for zim dollars at other than the official rate; or is this a case of violating the game laws?