Windhoek — Erindi the largest privately owned game reserve in southern Africa is up for sale for the impressive price tag of US$130 million, the equivalent of N$1.3 billion.

Gert Joubert who co-owns the game reserve with his brother Paul wants to offload the game farm teeming with rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, hippo, eland, hyena and giraffe to serious investors from China. Erindi is also home to crocodile, ant-eaters and hundreds of bird species and attracts thousands of high-end tourists each year.

The Joubert brothers did not rule out offers from US billionaires Warren Buffet and Bill Gates and say any Namibian who can find them a buyer will receive a commission of N$65 million. In the past Joubert has been flooded with enquiries from potential foreign buyers who want a stake in the game-rich 65 000 hectare game reserve.

"It is a very emotional thing for me, but we have reached a point now to let go. I have done it, and my time is finished. I want to sleep in peace," said Joubert, who indicated the asking price translates into N$20 000 per hectare. Joubert said the sale of the property might be a "sensitive thing and a laughing stock for many Namibians," because the owners had not made any returns on their investment.

Gert and Paul Joubert who are the owners of Erindi Game Reserve have decided to sell part or the whole game reserve, but what is interesting is that they want to get every Namibian involved, as well as empower everybody and are therefore offering everybody a chance to get them a buyer and whoever finds a buyer pockets N$65 million.

I anybody finds a buyer they can contact Charlie Bodenstein of Van der Westhuizen & Greeff law firm in Otjiwarongo, who is the lawyer responsible for Erindi. However, the brothers still consider the Namibian government as a natural buyer so as to complete its portfolio of government game reserves in Namibia or for the government to give them the nod to proceed to sell to other interested foreign parties. The property is iconic says Gert and there is nothing like Erindi, since it boasts the "the largest elephant in the world, the largest lions in the world, as well as the richest biodiversity in the world and it has an electrical fence, the only nearest comparison we can make is with game reserves in South Africa."

"We had to decide on the price but to calculate a valuation for Erindi was one of the most difficult assignment I have ever taken on," Joubert told Namibian media gathered at a hotel in Windhoek. He further noted that it is easy to value the properties on the reserve, but the most valuable attributes of Erindi are the unquantifiable aspects like the location, the geographical features, diversity as well as the size and ownership of Erindi.

"We think our asking price of N$1.3 billion is therefore attractive to any investor in the number one game reserve in Africa, which is Erindi," he boasted. The reason for the sale of Erindi is that the development of Erindi as a private game reserve has been achieved and thus it needs to be developed to the next level, and the brothers at this stage do not have the appetite to spend more money to take it to the next level. Joubert says he is an entrepreneur and seeks a strategic partner that has international exposure, a large international tourist company that they can partner with or that would like to buy the whole Erindi only then would they consider selling even though it will be an emotionally difficult decision. The Joubert brothers concluded that China would be a rational choice since the Chinese tourism sector has the potential to make Namibia the richest country in the world, because the other safari destination for Chinese tourists is only Kenya, which already entertains far more tourists than Namibia today. They say they will not make decisions that will be detrimental to their loyal employees and that their interests and security would be taken into consideration. Erindi actually started a road map from scratch and the whole idea of the road map was that when readers peruse a tourism book about Africa they will apparently "see this shining diamond which is Erindi and a lifetime has been put to reach this goal."

"Erindi is the shinning diamond of Namibia and it will bring in all the wealth and tourists to Namibia," said their lawyer, Charlie Bodenstein of Van der Westhuizen & Greeff law firm in Otjiwarongo.



http://allafrica.com/stories/201402040769.html

http://www.newera.com.na/2014/...i-sale-n1-3-billion/

We need to put this in ARbay and see if anyone wants it....

quote:

We need to put this in ARbay and see if anyone wants it....

I don't think theres any problem finding people that want it.
The problem is finding people that can afford it.
Let me check with my rich uncle & see if he'll co-sign for me.
Hey Uncle Saeed can you help with a few million?

I might could fax them a check....

I have run out of checks .... Will they take CASH ....?

More than I make in a whole week...

Do they accept Zim Dollars?

Hopefully whoever buys it turns it back to hunting, as well as general tourism.

quote:

Do they accept Zim Dollars?

Heck, I can cover it & leave a tip if they'll take Zim bucks!

We NEED to keep the Chinese from buying it or there won't be any rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, etc. Legislation might be the only answer, although I generally abhor the idea of not allowing foreign nationals from purchasing property.

Seems like a pretty steep price for Namibian land, but I'm certainly no expert and could stand to be corrected.

I think Namibia has laws in place to prevent foreigner's from buying land.
I certainly hope they do anyway.

..make Namibia the richest country in the world..?

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
We NEED to keep the Chinese from buying it or there won't be any rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, etc. Legislation might be the only answer, although I generally abhor the idea of not allowing foreign nationals from purchasing property.

Seems like a pretty steep price for Namibian land, but I'm certainly no expert and could stand to be corrected.

that's for damn sure. they will kill off every elephant, rhino, lion and leopard for the tusks/horns/bones- and probably turn a profit. China in one way or another will be the death of big game in Africa....