Have any of you hunted in Nuanetsi? I have been offered a Buffalo and Plainsgame package in this area. Am I making the correct move?

This is a "new" area being offered by Chifuti. Close to the Bubye Conservancy it should have strong numbers of plainsgame as well as some of the largest leopard in Zimbabwe. I also think they moved ~500 buff into this area. I spoke with Paul at Chifuti about Nuanetsi and he was quite excited about the opportunities.

A PH I have hunted with and give high marks to, Brent Leesmay is the manager on this property and posts here on occasion. Perhaps he will chime in and give you some on-the-ground intel...

The reason I put new in quotation marks is the area has been around for awhile but Brent has spent the last three years removing interior fences, building game populations up and getting infrastructure in place for safaris. Those who hunt there will see the new Nuanetsi!

Nuanetsi ranch had 5 o 6 different concessions, mostly along the mwenezi river.

When I hunted the Nuanetsi it was good for plains game, particularly kudu and eland, but no dangerous game existed except for maybe an estranged leopard , pm me if you want more info.kd

Have hunted this area a couple times but this was prior to Brent managing it and the re introduction of all those Buffalo.

Good Day all...

Yes, Nuanetsi Conservancy is a "new" area that is being marketed in Zim as a hunting destination. As already mentioned above, this area was operated by several operators over the past few decades until the hunting was finally closed at the beginning of '08. The property was predominantly a Cattle ranch and the hunts took place within.

During the past 4 years, ALL hunting activities were stopped and the area has been cleared of most of the cattle management infrastructure. This area was always home to a few Buffalo, however we brought in 500 more animals in '09 and they have been free ranging since and doing very well. The Lowveld of Zimbabwe is renowned for it's monster Leopard, in actual fact, the 2 largest Leopard taken in Zim for '11 came from the Bubye Valley Conservancy which is situated along our South west Boundary. Plainsgame numbers have bounced back incredibly in such a short time - absolutely amazing to see what wildlife can do, given some security!!! Elephant population is still very low, however, more and more Elephant are slowly filtering through from the Mateke hills and Gonarezhou National Park which is just 25 kilometers to our East.

I look forward to reading the hunt reports from Nuanetsi this year!! Watch This Space..............

(Should anyway wish to get some more info on this area, please feel free to PM me)

Cheers,
Brent

Out of interest, where were the 500 buff moved from?

quote:

Originally posted by kukhama:
Out of interest, where were the 500 buff moved from?

From what I've been told, they came from an area with large numbers of Buffalo to re populate an area with few Buffalo. That as a hunter sounds good to me.

Madlazim - you gave me great advice on my last Safari in Kazuma - looks like we'll be meeting in June. Excuse the ignorance but don't know how to PM yet. Pse PM me -got a few questions. Pee post some pics of the camp etc.

If Brent Leesmay is involved, rest assured it will be done right. I hunted with him in 2008 in Dande North, and in my opinion is as good as they come.

quote:

Originally posted by venda axe:
If Brent Leesmay is involved, rest assured it will be done right. I hunted with him in 2008 in Dande North, and in my opinion is as good as they come.

Another PH who is fast becoming a household name within the industry.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by venda axe:
If Brent Leesmay is involved, rest assured it will be done right. I hunted with him in 2008 in Dande North, and in my opinion is as good as they come.

Another PH who is fast becoming a household name within the industry.

The Leesmay men are fine folk and good hunters, period.

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

Originally posted by kukhama:
Out of interest, where were the 500 buff moved from?

From what I've been told, they came from an area with large numbers of Buffalo to re populate an area with few Buffalo. That as a hunter sounds good to me.

matetsi? or were those buff taken elsewhere?

quote:

Originally posted by Ma Baker:
Madlazim - you gave me great advice on my last Safari in Kazuma - looks like we'll be meeting in June. Excuse the ignorance but don't know how to PM yet. Pse PM me -got a few questions. Pee post some pics of the camp etc.

PM sent,

Cheers,
Brent

Venda Axe & Safari Lawyer - thank you for the kind words..

Compliments of the season and all the best for '12!

Cheers,
Brent

quote:

Originally posted by kukhama:

quote:

Originally posted by ozhunter:

quote:

Originally posted by kukhama:
Out of interest, where were the 500 buff moved from?

From what I've been told, they came from an area with large numbers of Buffalo to re populate an area with few Buffalo. That as a hunter sounds good to me.

matetsi? or were those buff taken elsewhere?

Not taken from Matetsi but from nearby in Western Zim - was an amazing exercise!!

I Googled "Nuanetsi Ranch Zimbabwe" to read more about the area as I was excited about the work being done on the ranch.

The search returned information about seizures and a person named Billy Rautenbauch owning the ranch and his ties to Zanu PF.

After another search it appears Rautenbauch is on the "Banned List".

For you guys who know what is going on in Zim:

Does Rautenbauch own the hunting area?

If so is he still on the banned list? He was placed there three years ago and I cannot find where he has been removed.

If the answer to the first two questions are yes, does this present any problems for US hunters? There is always alot of talk of the Lacey Act on AR would hunting this area be a violation?

I truly hope the answers are no as it seems there is some good work being done in the area. But I would also hate to see people not receive their trophies or worse.

Nuanetsi is where old Brian Marsh was hired to shoot off all the game for the cattle ranch.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike70560:
I Googled "Nuanetsi Ranch Zimbabwe" ...

Did you read the below from 2010 as well? There are several such articles along the same line.

It seems unlikely that Chifuti would be offering us [USA hunters] hunts at Nuanetsi without clarifying the legal situation.

Les


New Zimbabwe.Com :: The Zimbabwe News You Trust
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Mugabe not part of Nuanetsi: ZBE
by:
THE company behind a venture to produce bio-fuels in Zimbabwe’s low-veld region has dismissed claims the project will displace 10 000 resettled families and insisted President Robert Mugabe and defence minister, Emmerson Mnangagwa are not involved.

Controversial businessman, Billy Rautenbach, who is alleged to be a close ally of President Mugabe and other key Zanu PF figures, is behind the project.

However there was an uproar in opposition and white commercial farming circles when it was reported that government had given Rautenbach’s company the 100 000 hectare Nuanetsi ranch located in the country’s Masvingo province to launch the bio-fuels project.

The ranch is owned by the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) which was founded by the late Vice President, Dr Joshua Nkomo in 1989.

White commercial farmers who are fighting President Mugabe’s land reforms immediately used the deal to highlight perceived government hypocrisy over the land issue.

“It’s an absolute scandal, while we’re driven off our farms like dogs- farms which produce food for Zimbabwe.

“It’s a matter of principle, and not because Rautenbach is white or about white farmers. He’s big buddies with Mugabe’s Zanu-PF. It’s all about money.

“Besides the loss of land for urgently needed agricultural production, over 10 000 people will be driven off the estate,” Charles Taffs, deputy chair of the Zimbabwean Farmers’ Association said.

But, Zimbabwe Bio-Energy (ZBE), the firm behind the project dismissed the allegations.
“The company … wishes to reiterate that President Robert Mugabe and his Defence Minister, Mnangagwa are not linked to this project in any way and the Zimbabwean company shareholding register reflects this accordingly.

“With regards to Billy Rautenbach’s involvement, he is purely a promoter of this project as he realises the immense value this project can hold for Zimbabwe as a whole,” Dr Liberty Mhlanga, ZBE executive director said.

Dr Mhlanga insisted his company had not taken over Nuanetsi Ranch but merely entered into a joint venture agreement with DTZ who still retain ownership of the property.

“ZBE has not acquired the land; Nuanetsi Ranch title deeds have remained (with) the DTZ. Zimbabwean law dictates that indigenous property is protected from redistribution in the framework of fast track land reform.

“Because of the indigenous ownership of the Nuanetsi Ranch as a property of the DTZ, the land has never been acquired by government for redistribution or earmarked as such,” Dr Mhlanga said.

ZBE dismissed as erroneous claims that 10 000 families resettled on the ranch would be removed to make way for the project.

The company said about 230 families who had illegally settled on the ranch would be affected.

“To date (the families) have not legalised their stay within Nuanetsi’s boundaries.

“However, the DTZ and ZBE have set aside 60,000 hectares for resettlement purposes as part of its social responsibility programme and the 232 families will be catered for within this initiative,” Dr Mhlanga said.

ZBE says it has already rolled out a multi-billion US dollar investment programme which includes crocodile farming, sugarcane growing, cattle ranching, and game keeping within Nuanetsi.

Still, another Rautenbach-backed bid to launch a similar project in neighbouring Mozambique through a company called Bio-Energy Africa collapsed after the country's government cancelled the venture accusing the company of failing to meet its contractual obligations.

“In the two years since the provisional authorisation in 2007, only 800 hectares of land (from the 30 000 hectares given to the company) was cleared. The company made no use at all of the remaining 29,200 hectares,” Mozambique’s deputy education minister, Luis Covane, said last December.

“This is an embarrassing situation, because what was promised is not happening. The jobs were not created and this shows that they are not investors who deserve the trust of the Mozambican government.

“So the government is revoking, with immediate effect, the resolution that authorised the project (which) means the investment contract is cancelled, and any rights, duties or obligations binding the Mozambican state to the project or to the investors cease,” Covane added.


Story from : NEWZIMBABWE.COM NEWS:
Published On: Saturday, January 16, 2010 5:12 AM GMT
http://www.newzimbabwe.com/news/news.aspx?newsID=1650
© New Zimbabwe News

quote:

Originally posted by Mike70560:
I Googled "Nuanetsi Ranch Zimbabwe" to read more about the area as I was excited about the work being done on the ranch.

The search returned information about seizures and a person named Billy Rautenbauch owning the ranch and his ties to Zanu PF.

After another search it appears Rautenbauch is on the "Banned List".

For you guys who know what is going on in Zim:

Does Rautenbauch own the hunting area?

If so is he still on the banned list? He was placed there three years ago and I cannot find where he has been removed.

If the answer to the first two questions are yes, does this present any problems for US hunters? There is always alot of talk of the Lacey Act on AR would hunting this area be a violation?

I truly hope the answers are no as it seems there is some good work being done in the area. But I would also hate to see people not receive their trophies or worse.

Rautenbach does not own the hunting area and neither was it 'siezed' during the land invasions which commenced in 2000 - in actual fact, since the early 90's, Nuanetsi has belonged to DTZ (Development Trust of Zimbabwe) which Rautenbach has nothing to do with. I hope this clears it up for you.

Cheers,
Brent

I had the pleasure of sharing camp with Brent back in 2008 in Chewore. We have kept in touch over the few years and he has given me some great advice along the way, even getting together when I was in Zim last year. If I wasn't booked out for the next 3 years I would hunt with him in a heart beat. You could not ask for a more professional, knowledgeable and all around good guy than Brent Leesmay.

He has done a great job cleaning the place up and managing the game. If you are one of the lucky ones to get to hunt there, you will see some truly magnificent animals, especially the buffalo.

Brent,

The seizures were black owned farms that held about 10,000 head of cattle. According to the article they were given 24 hours to vacate to make room for the conservancy. It also discussed that Zanu PFs land redistibution was more about political power than anything else since it gave control of the land to a white Zimbabwean.

The better question was not who owned the land but who owned the project for the conservany along with several other ventures on the ranch.

Like I said in my first post on this subject I am very glad to see another area that wildlife will be given a chance to thrive. Hopefully it will rival the BVC and the Save.

Good luck with your upcoming season.

quote:

Originally posted by RichP470:
I had the pleasure of sharing camp with Brent back in 2008 in Chewore. We have kept in touch over the few years and he has given me some great advice along the way, even getting together when I was in Zim last year. If I wasn't booked out for the next 3 years I would hunt with him in a heart beat. You could not ask for a more professional, knowledgeable and all around good guy than Brent Leesmay.

He has done a great job cleaning the place up and managing the game. If you are one of the lucky ones to get to hunt there, you will see some truly magnificent animals, especially the buffalo.

Thank you Rich - one day WE will drop the hammer on a big Jumbo though!

You right about the Buff - got some fantastic genes in those Buff we bought from western Zim.

Cheers,
Brent

quote:

Originally posted by Mike70560:
Brent,

The seizures were black owned farms that held about 10,000 head of cattle. According to the article they were given 24 hours to vacate to make room for the conservancy. It also discussed that Zanu PFs land redistibution was more about political power than anything else since it gave control of the land to a white Zimbabwean.

The better question was not who owned the land but who owned the project for the conservany along with several other ventures on the ranch.

Like I said in my first post on this subject I am very glad to see another area that wildlife will be given a chance to thrive. Hopefully it will rival the BVC and the Save.

Good luck with your upcoming season.

Good afternoon all,

In pursuance to my earlier posting and the ongoing debate about whether or not Rautenbach owns, or is in any way affiliated to, the Nuanetsi Conservancy I feel it is necessary to set the record straight right from the start so as to prevent unwarranted exacerbation of this matter. It must be stated in no uncertain terms that Nuanetsi Conservancy (or any of its other ventures such as the crocodile and cattle operations) is in no way associated with or linked to Rautenbach. A lot of the controversy was generated by the fact that Rautenbach originally expressed an interest in funding and promoting the Nuanetsi project(s) at its inception. That said, when Rautenbach was placed on the sanctions list the Development Trust of Zimbabwe and Nuantsi Conservancy withdrew their support for his involvement. If you require any further clarification on the matter please feel free to contact me on mandla80@gmail.com so that we can address and alleviate such concerns in detail.

Cheers,
Brent