Zimbabwe: Safari Firm Fails to Fulfil Tender

The Herald (Harare)

January 31, 2007
Posted to the web January 31, 2007

Zvamaida Murwira
Harare

RIVERSIDE Private Limited Company, which won the tender to run the Chewore North Safari Area last month for $14 billion, has so far only deposited $2 billion for the concession.

The company, which shocked the hunting industry as it had no known background in the safari business, has put up a payment plan with the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority that would see it paying the total amount before the start of the hunting season in April.


This follows the company's failure to pay the total amount within seven days as part of the conditions of the auction.

Discussions between the department and the company, fronted by Mr Kenny Ngirazi, are still ongoing as the company, which would be making its debut in the lucrative hunting industry, failed to meet the seven-day deadline to pay the money.

However, the second highest bidder, Big Five, fronted by Mr Billy Rautenbach, is understood to have shown interest in the concession and is making efforts to raise the required money.

Sources in the hunting industry and Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, said Big Five, the former tenants of Chewore North, had not yet raised the required amount as well by close of business last Friday, throwing another lifeline to Riverside.

Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Retired Major Mbewe confirmed the failure by Riverside to raise the $14 billion within the given timeframe.

"The company has failed to pay within the seven days as stipulated in the conditions of the auction. It is my understanding that the winner had asked for some payment schedules, but the conditions of the auction was that he should pay in seven days failure of which it should be returned back to the auctioneers. Nothing has been finalised as yet and it is our hope that someone would come up with the money," said Maj Mbewe in interview.


A Riverside spokesman said the company had deposited $2 billion to demonstrate its resolve to pay.

"When we paid the deposit, our other funds were tied in other investments and we made frantic efforts to liquidate them and by the time we did that we were told that our seven days' grace period had lapsed," said the spokesman.

"We are really committed to pay this money. Our failure to pay in time is not just peculiar to our case alone because we are aware of other indigenous safari hunters who are still to complete their payment after winning tenders in other concessions. So it is our view that we are given time to pay and by the time the hunting season begins we would be through because we have the money."



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This report comes from the Herald....Herald = Hope Everyone Reads All Lies, Deception. Itt is known as "Pravda" in local circles

Guess not everyone read the other thread with the same report... uh I mean lies in it.

quote:

Originally posted by Ganyana:
This report comes from the Herald....Herald = Hope Everyone Reads All Lies, Deception. Itt is known as "Pravda" in local circles

Just spoke to Mike Payne in Harare. Business is on as reported earlier in Big Five Camp.

Story is BS.

Glad to hear that Mark. Bet you are too!!

John

Kathi,
Is that $14 billion USD?

14 Billion Zim dollars. Which, who knows(?), might get a guy a cheesburger and fries at McDonalds. - kidding I'm sure even with the weak Zim dollar 14 Billion is a bunch of coinage. Ganyana used to keep us up to date on the exchange, but hasn't recently, anyone know what it is?

Bobby Hansen does.