Mudenge fingered in conservancy destruction
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/

04/04/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

HIGHER Education Minister, Stan Mudenge and several top military and
political figures have been blamed for the destruction of Save Valley
Conservancy, once one of the largest private wildlife sanctuaries in the
world.

A report by the Parliamentary portfolio committee on natural resources and
tourism says forced seizure of the conservancy by top political and military
figures with “no interest (or) experience in wildlife conservation” had
resulted in massive destruction of the conservancy.

According to the committee’s report, “Save Valley conservancy had ceased to
exist in its original form: there is extensive habitat destruction, large
scale fence destruction and rampant poaching of animals, especially the
rhino whose numbers were said to be fast dwindling.”

The committee said under the country’s land reforms, conservancies were
supposed to be restricted to indigenous investors with demonstrable
“interest and experience in Wildlife conservation (as well as the) capacity
for business development and ability to contribute to the asset base.”

However, the seizure of Save Conservancy contradicted these principles, the
committee found, as those who benefitted “perceive the value of the wildlife
industry as coming from meat and not from the exportable trophies and
photographic safaris.”
In addition the beneficiaries “believe(d) that they would be given
shareholding at the animal sanctuary without investment.”

“It is the committee’s finding that the allocation of indigenous
beneficiaries that include General Engelbert Rugeje, Hon. Sithole, Hon.
Senator Hungwe, Mr. Ndava, Hon. Minister S. Mudenge, Hon. Governor T.
Maluleke, Mr. Cladman Chibemene, Rtd. Lt. Col. D. Moyo, Mrs Mahofa and Mr.
A. Baloyi according to the list submitted to the committee was not based on
business principles,” the committee said.

“These beneficiaries were merely imposed to conservators despite assurances
from the Ministry of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment that
there was a transparent system in place to identify indigenous partners
through the Zimbabwe Investors Authority’s Independent Board using the
databases for both foreign and local investors.”

Established in 1984, Save Valley Conservancy combined 24 adjacent farm
properties totaling 3,200 square kilometers to create one of the largest
private conservancies in the world.

Several lodges were established throughout the conservancy, which offered
wildlife tourism and photographic safaris.

Meanwhile the committee also said the destruction of Save Conservancy
mirrored the devastation at plantations and forests in Manicaland province.

Illegal settlers were found to be causing extensive damage to plantations
near Mutare through forest fires. Erin Forest alone had lost over 80
hectares of land to fire caused by arsonists.

“At Erin Forest, a total planting area of 589 hectares has been occupied by
these settlers, at Gwendingwe 700 hectares have been consumed while at
Chisengu an illegal settler took 150 hectares to himself,” the committee
said.
“The Committee learnt that the Forestry industry contributes about 5 percent
to the country’s Gross Domestic Product.

“Its market stretches from Botswana, Zambia, South Africa, United Kingdom
and United States. As a result of these challenges, the quality of timber is
gradually diminishing.”

?????Really?????

Any Zimbos out there? What's the word on this?

Brett

Dang, that was a great place to hunt. Packed full of game, tracked-up like a cow pasture. I would have thought they would have had some U.N. protection as a game sanctuary.

My heart aches for the GOOD people of Zimbabwe & for the animals & land itself.

It's still there and hunting continues on all of the hunting blocks.

There are some poaching problems around the boundaries. Lots of snares for meat poaching as well as organized rhino poaching. Occasional wood and fish poaching.

There are the ongoing indiginization issues where local partners have been imposed on the rightful owners of the ranches.

I've been there close to 70 days since 2009. I'll be there 21 more days in June. The hunting remains superb as evidenced by my successes there. There are problems, but it's Africa after all.

Will, how long ago were you there?. as we all know, a lot can change in Zim in a very short time. this article certainly states that Save is essentialy a done deal. i sincerely hope it is wrong. where are the Zim posters?

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
Will, how long ago were you there?. as we all know, a lot can change in Zim in a very short time. this article certainly states that Save is essentialy a done deal. i sincerely hope it is wrong. where are the Zim posters?

November.

The key word here is that it no longer exists in its "original condition". This is a 25-ish year old conservancy. Some of the outlying blocks and a large portion of the south have been lost over time. Some of the largest blocks have abandoned portions of their land in order to keep the rest. The fence is down in most areas. There is poaching and encrochment that is worse in some areas than others. The fight to save the rhinos is in full swing.

On two occasions, I have accompanied Thierry to check on problem lions. In both instances, we went to properties that were formerly part of the conservancy. They now contain villages, cows, goats, donkeys, dogs, beer halls, and lots of people. Much like a communal area. There is zero wildlife and zero grass. The trees have been cut to make way for maize. These properties are lost causes. Clearly the area is less than what it once was.

I'll try and get a comment from Thierry or Alistair.

What BS! Will summed it up very well. All the issues in the news article are old news having existed in the occcupied areas of the Save for years.

2012 and into the forseeable future the Save will offer some of the very best hunting in Africa for the dollar.

I think the author as it would seem in many of these articles I've read coming out of Zim has embellished the facts to make interesting reading for the uninformed.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Kathi:
....indigenous investors ....

A contradition in so many countries!!

Sounds like BS to me. I have been there the last 3 years. I was in Sango in October.

Am I the only one that sees good news in this? It sounds to me that at least some have figured out the wildlife slaughter for meat isn't worth it.

Larry I agree it is about time some light was shone on this problem. I have much great respect for the folks operating in the Save.

I don't know how they do it, but I am very thankfull for their ongoing efforts.
I can't wait to return!

Many Thanks

HBH

I don't think this part is BS:

quote:

In addition the beneficiaries “believe(d) that they would be given
shareholding at the animal sanctuary without investment.”

This is a human nature problem that runs throughout Zim, Africa, a lot of Europe, and now, sadly a growing portion of the USA. And it eventually leads to collapse.

I've only hunted there once and had a great hunt. The operators, as usual, were/are doing a tremendous job "co-existing" with the "war vets", etc. on the occupied portions. But there was no denying that there was tension.

As Americans, I really don't think any of us are qualified to declare the situation either "just fine" or "all is lost."

Folks,

People have been predicting the collapse of Zimbabwe and the end of hunting there for years. The latest news today is that the Save is no more. I even cacelled a safari in Zim in '98 because of the news of impending violence etc. Guess what? I missed a great opportunity by taking the over blown news stories as fact and not listening to my safari operator. Nothing has stopped safari hunting in Zim since it started and to my knowledge nobody booked with a reputable Zim safari operator has experienced any violence. Not so for other important hunting countries like Zambia and Tanzania. Guys! It's Africa. The reality is that some of the allure of safari is the adventure of being in a third world country where things don't work quite like they do in Mayberry.

These stories will comes out on the Internet every so often and folks should understand they are just stories based on a very few facts and embellish lavishly. Keep in touch with your safari operator. He knows what really is happening on the ground.

Mark

And, the moral of the story is?? Do not believe everything you read!

As Will, Larry, Mark and others mention - what a crock of s**t! We all know Zim has problems, just like every African country on the entire continent. Yep, problems like corruption are rampant to say the least. But, to insinuate the Save Conservancy is lost/gone/doomed, all the game is poached, and the place has all been settled by squatters - pathetic.

Fact is, if you really want to know the facts - ask guys like Larry, Will and and a handful of clients I had hunt in the Save in 2011. They all seem to have a different take on the facts! Alot of the claims made in this article are OLD NEWS, most of which has happened long ago.

The fences down, small parts of the Conservancy lost to villagers, etc, etc. Heck, that happened yrs ago! I saw some of the problems mentioned above, when I last hunted the Save in 2008. I also saw loads of game, lots of buffalo, and 26 lions in 11 days - more lions than I have EVER seen on any single safari.

Relax, no one is predicting Zimbabwe's immediate collapse and I'm not trying to crap in y'all's mess-kit.

I've hunted Zim (not Save) pretty close to its (recent) lowest point; even had my wife along. We never felt threatened and were well taken care of, although there were plenty of shortages and "work arounds".

Zambezi Hunters, Sango, et al are doing a tremendous job keeping Save a great hunting destination.

Part of safari is the adventure, in a third world country, where things are different than "Mayberry". Part of traveling anywhere, not just hunting, is trying to understand, albeit in a tourist-limited way, the reality of the place you are in and the lives of the people around you. If you talk to your PH, operator, etc., about their lives, their operation, and you listen, they will tell you the truth, both good and bad. Some hunters just want to talk about what they're going to shoot next. So be it.

Cazador,

Nothing I wrote was directed at you personally and I assume that Aaron's comments weren't either. I just want folks that are new to safari, not as well traveled as you and looking at booking a hunt to understand that the article in question does in no way reflect the real or present situation in the hunting blocks on the Save. I was trying to be informative not arguementative.

Mark

I hunted there for ten days last August with Mokore and had a great time. In addition to excellent plains game I saw many elephant as well as buffalo, lion and black rhino almost every day. I did not see leopard, but heard them almost every night and saw lots of fresh sign. If I could afford to go every year I would!

My experience on the Save, with Mokore, in June 2010 was exactly the same as Sdirks above. The place is crawling with game. I hope it stays that way, the Zim PH crowd (and families) are as tough and fine a people as you will find anywhere in the world. I would go back tomorrow.

It was announced from RadioVOP that Terry Anders had lost Savuli and ordered to vacate immediately. This was on 4/11.

I hunted the Matendere Ranch with Save Safaris last year and am booked in August this year and again in April 2013. I saw more game (plains and dangerous) there in a couple of days than I saw in 3 weeks in the Zambesi Valley!

Regarding zimbabwe's post about Savuli.



ZANU PF seizes another conservancy despite parly warnings
http://www.swradioafrica.com

By Alex Bell
12 April 2012

ZANU PF has seized another of Zimbabwe’s few remaining conservancies after a
four year legal battle, despite warnings from parliament about the
destruction of these areas.

Magistrate Jabulani Muzinyati last week ordered Terry Andres, John Taylor
and Grant Hudson to surrender the Bikita based Savuli Conservancy to former
ZANU PF deputy Minister for Gender and Youth, Shuvai Ben Mahofa.

Mahofa originally grabbed the conservancy under Robert Mugabe’s land grab
campaign in 2007 after she and former Bikita west ZANU PF legislator,
Retired Colonel Claudius Makova, got an ‘offer’ letter to take over the
land. The conservationists have been fighting ever since to try and keep the
property.

But their appeal against the land seizure was dismissed last week and it is
understood that they have now been evicted from the land.

This court decision follows a recent damning report by a parliamentary
committee, which slammed the inclusion of conservancy land in the land grab
campaign. The report, compiled by MPs and other government officials, warned
that this has led to the destruction of important conservation areas.

The report singled out top ZANU PF and military officials as being
responsible for this destruction, stating that Zimbabwe’s conservancies were
supposed to be restricted to indigenous ‘investors’ with demonstrable
“interest and experience in wildlife conservation (as well as the) capacity
for business development and ability to contribute to the asset base.”

Johnny Rodrigues, the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
(ZCTF) said the takeover of Savuli Conservancy has “nothing to do with
conservation,” warning that the first thing that will happen is all the
animals will be killed.

“She (Mahofa) will kill all the animals and make money off that and then
what? Then it will be something else. This is all based on greed,” Rodrigues
said.

He explained that Mahofa already has several properties that were awarded to
her “for supporting the regime.” He also said the takeover of Savuli is
“criminal.”

“Even the Minister of Environment has agreed that conservancies like Savuli
should be exempt, but nothing is being done. These ministers and MPs say one
thing in parliament, but nothing happens on the ground and it is
frightening,” Rodrigues said.

The President of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) Charles Taffs meanwhile
told SW Radio Africa on Thursday that the ongoing seizure of land under the
pretence of either ‘reform’ or ‘indigenisation’ was destroying Zimbabwe’s
future.

“We have seen and continue to see the consistent pull out of investment and
unless someone steps in stops this, then Zimbabwe has no future,” Taffs
said.



Three Whites Lose Farm To Mahofa
http://www.radiovop.com

Roy Chikara in Masvingo Masvingo, April 11, 2012 - Three white farmers here
have been ordered to vacate their 5 526 hectare conservancy to pave way for
former deputy Minister for Gender and Youth, Shuvai Ben Mahofa.

Magistrate Jabulani Muzinyati last week ordered Terry Andres, John Taylor
and Grant Hudson to surrender the property to Mahofa who should take
occupation until 2033.

Mahofa a former legislator for Gutu south had been in a bruising court
battle for the Savuli Conservancy for the past four years.

She grabbed the conservancy under the controversial land reform programme
when she and former Bikita west Zanu (PF)legislator, Retired Colonel
Claudius Makova got an offer letter in 2007 to occupy the land.

Muzinyathi also dismissed the appeal by the three white farmers with costs.
They were represented by Wadzanai Chirongoma of Chihambakwe, Makonese and
Ncube law firm.

In their appeal, the three white conservatists had argued that an earlier
ruling had been made without taking into account all the submissions that
had been made and that Mahofa had not paid them compensation for the
property.

In his ruling Muzinyati wrote “The respondents, jointly and severally,
including all those who claim occupation of Savuli Conservancy, through
them, be and are hereby ordered to vacate the conservancy upon service of
this order.

“The messenger of court is authorised to use reasonable force against all
respondents if any of them try to resist eviction. The respondents should
pay the applicant’s legal costs and are also ordered not to vandalise any
infrastructure in the conservancy.”

Last year other white farmers Digby Nesbit and Ronnie Sparow from Chiredzi
and Masvingo respectively lost similar properties to Zanu (PF) big wigs in
the province.

Man, that's a shame. Anybody booked with Terry Anders this year?

Folks the report above is not accurate . The original order granting mahofa the right to move onto the land was issued by the magistrates court in Masvingo. Unfortunately for Mahofa, a magistrate cannot overrule a high court judge who had already issued a High Court ruling on the legality of the property. The High Court has issued papers which nullify the Masvingo court ruling.

With respect to the Conservancy as a whole, Please dont jump to conclusions when you read reports. Speak to your operator or agent and get the truth behind any reports that you may read. Trust me, I had two clients call me at 3 o clock in the morning saying they had just heard that Bob had died. $ hours later a very much alive Bob got off an aeroplane at Harare International.

Yes there have been noises made about the 51% indigenisation laws etc, but the Save is still a great place to hunt. Most importantly, your operators in the Save will keep you informed of developements that would affect your booked or planned hunt.

FROM TERRY ANDERS THIS AM:


HI Mark

Sorry i have just come back from Sentinel. NOT to panic. This story is partially true in that this Mrs Mahofa won a case last week against us - HOWEVER - we made an appeal to the High Court and we have WON the case!

We were never evicted and have continued to operate without any hickups whatsoever.

Please advise Singers asap. I am sure that yesterdays high court ruling will be published soon!

Looking forward to catching up - I have got some pix for you.

Cheers for now
Terry

Further to Marks Post above.

The High Court ruling was reinforced yesterday when the High Court Judge called to task the Magistrate who had overruled the first court ruling.

In brief, a few years ago, the ownership of Savuli was challenged however the High Court ruled that the current owners and operators were the legitimate owners. Mahofa chose to try and obtain a different ruling through a magistrates court in Masvingo last week but this court had no authority to overrule the original high court ruling. The High Court has again ruled in Savulis favour, reinforcing their original judgement and labelling Mahofa as vexatious.

Again folks , Savuli continues to operate as normal and will continue to do so. Terry has assures me that he will communicate any news to the contrary to AR members and to his customers.

quote:

Originally posted by zimFrosty:
Further to Marks Post above.

The High Court ruling was reinforced yesterday when the High Court Judge called to task the Magistrate who had overruled the first court ruling.

In brief, a few years ago, the ownership of Savuli was challenged however the High Court ruled that the current owners and operators were the legitimate owners. Mahofa chose to try and obtain a different ruling through a magistrates court in Masvingo last week but this court had no authority to overrule the original high court ruling. The High Court has again ruled in Savulis favour, reinforcing their original judgement and labelling Mahofa as vexatious.

Again folks , Savuli continues to operate as normal and will continue to do so. Terry has assures me that he will communicate any news to the contrary to AR members and to his customers.

That is good news.

I hear from multiple sources that the push to have indigenous partners in the Save is much more intense now than in the past. What does this mean? I have no idea.

The Save operators have done a hell of a lot of good for the country, it's animals and it's people. Personally, I believe that if it were not for the efforts of one extremely wealthy non- Zimbabwean who is incredibly well connected in world politics,the Save would be lost already. A lot of heavy hitters in world politics are guests of this gentleman on his place in the Save. I think this has put a lot of pressure on the government of Zim to stay out.;

I think larryshores has it dead right all around. Let's hope that dynamic doesn't change as the Save is a true gem. It's destruction - which would happen if it was lost - would be a tragedy. Of course, all of what has happened to the people in Zim is a tragedy.

Assuming it stays the same, I would have no hesitation in returning or giving anyone a positive recomendation to hunt there.

ZimFrosty, Thanks for that information.

The Save is a wonderful place!

I spoke with Mike Payne of Save Safaris, and he corroborated everything posted by ZimFrosty. Mike and Leon Du Plessis are still very much in business at Matendere, and they see nothing happening that would change that in the forseeable future.
Mangwana

quote:

Personally, I believe that if it were not for the efforts of one extremely wealthy non- Zimbabwean who is incredibly well connected in world politics,the Save would be lost already. A lot of heavy hitters in world politics are guests of this gentleman on his place in the Save. I think this has put a lot of pressure on the government of Zim to stay out.;

I also believe that to be true.

Ain't scared (dumb maybe). Just booked with Savuli for 2013.

There is always opportunity in chaos.

Folks,

I just think the above articles go to show that any news coming out of Zimbabwe concerning the safari business needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Check with someone on the ground in Zim or someone that is in touch with the safari operators daily before believing any of this. These news articles are basically just sensationalism with extremely skewed facts.

Mark