http://www.zimbabwesituation.c...turn-on-save-valley/


Cautious welcome greets ZANU PF ‘u-turn’ on Save Valley

Posted on May 14, 2014 by ZimSitRep


via Cautious welcome greets ZANU PF ‘u-turn’ on Save Valley | SW Radio Africa by Alex Bell on Wednesday, May 14, 2014

There has been a guarded welcome of a decision by the ZANU PF politburo to rescind all offer letters, granted to top party and army officials, for land in the Save Valley Conservancy.

A politburo meeting chaired by Robert Mugabe on Monday also resolved to remove all beneficiaries of the wildlife-based land grab from properties that were meant to be protected under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs). This reportedly includes the Sango, Sabi, Chishakwe, Masapasi, Makore, Gunundwe and Chamurwe ranches.

Other conservancy land gazetted by the state for takeover will now come under the ownership of the National Parks authority.

During the Monday meeting Mugabe criticised what he called “double dipping” by his officials, who already benefitted during ZANU PF’s commercial farm grab campaign. Party spokesperson Rugare Gumbo reportedly confirmed that this was the politburo position too.

“The issue was if you did not yet have a farm, then government will give you one elsewhere and not in Save Valley. Most of them are multiple land owners which is what the politburo said should not happen. That was the decision, and their removal must be expedited as per the politburo (resolution),” Gumbo said.

National Parks in 2012 issued hunting permits to 25 so-called indigenous ‘farmers’ who were given land in the Conservancy under the government’s ‘Wildlife Best Land Reform Policy’. This was in spite of a damning parliamentary report in 2012, which said that the forced seizure of Save land by top political and military figures with “no interest (or) experience in wildlife conservation” had resulted in massive destruction there.

The officials who benefitted included war vets leader Joseph Chinotimba, Major General Gibson Mashingaidze, Major General Engelbert Rugeje, Masvingo Governor Titus Maluleke, then ZANU PF Masvingo provincial chair Lovemore Matuke, then Deputy Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora, ZANU PF’s central committee member Enock Porusingazi, as well as ZANU PF MPs Alois Baloyi, Abraham Sithole, Samson Mukanduri and Noel Mandebvu.

ZANU PF’s Gumbo said that the government has withdrawn all 25-year leases offered to the top officials “with immediate effect.”

“The politburo made a decision to remove all those that had been allocated leases in Save Valley. It does not matter whether you are a politburo member or not, all beneficiaries were ordered out of that place,” Gumbo said.

Johnny Rodrigues, the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, said the decision is “overdue,” because local Zimbabweans have not benefitted since top chefs took over the Save land.

“The owners of the conservancies originally came up with an idea that the rural folk would become shareholders, but the big boys didn’t like it and they took over. Now that is being withdrawn and it’s about time. They need to be held accountable for the greed and corruption going on,” Rodrigues said.

He added that the previously gazetted land, now set to be handed over to National Parks, should instead be given back to the original land owners.

“I don’t believe that Parks will be able to do a good job. They should leave the land with the actual owners. They are the best conservationists; they employ professional people to make things work. At the moment National Parks can’t even pay their employees. So it’s doomed to fail,” Rodrigues warned.

He also added that the planned ‘indigenisation’ of conservancy land owned by white Zimbabweans would have a negative impact on Save Valley. Former Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has said that only white Zimbabweans will be required to comply with ZANU PF’s indigenisation laws in the Conservancy. This is despite the fact that the indigensation policy was originally meant to only target foreign owned investments in Zimbabwe.

“Foreign-owned properties will not be affected as they are protected under investment laws, but those [properties] of local whites will be,” Kasukuwere said.

Rodrigues said: “It doesn’t make any sense. They have to come up with a definite ruling (on indigenisation) because we need the foreign investment.”

http://www.zimbabwesituation.c...-out-of-conservancy/



Army generals booted out of conservancy

Posted on May 14, 2014 by ZimSitRep_


via Army generals booted out of conservancy – NewsDay Zimbabwe May 14, 2014 Wisdom Mdzungairi

THE Zanu PF politburo has booted out top army officials and Masvingo party heavyweights from the money-spinning safari landholdings in the prized Save Valley Conservancy [SVC] for double-dipping, NewsDay has learnt.

SVC, established in 1991 in Masvingo, is the largest private wildlife sanctuary in the world.

The explosive special politburo meeting chaired by President Robert Mugabe on Monday also resolved to remove all resettled farmers from properties protected under the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (Bippas), among them Sango, Sabi, Chishakwe, Masapasi, Makore, Gunundwe and Chamurwe ranches.

The properties were reportedly owned by German, Danish, Dutch and South African nationals.

All gazetted land under the SVC besides properties under Bippas, will now become Parks estates expanding the territory under the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), which currently controls almost 20% of the country’s tota land area.

Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo confirmed Mugabe criticised top party officials and generals for “double-dipping” since they had benefited under the land reform programme.

Gumbo added the government would with immediate effect withdraw all 25-year leases offered to the top Zanu PF officials under the Wildlife Best Land Reform Policy that seeks to open conservancies to black Zimbabweans.

“The politburo made a decision to remove all those that had been allocated leases in Save Valley. It does not matter whether you are a politburo member or not, all beneficiaries were ordered out of that place,” Gumbo said.

“The issue was if you did not yet have a farm, then government will give you one elsewhere and not in Save Valley. It was also not about which faction you belong Mai (VP Joice) Mujuru or (Emmerson) Mnangagwa, but greediness. Most of them are multiple land owners which is what the politburo said should not happen. That was the decision, and their removal must be expedited as per the politburo [resolution].”

The Zanu PF spokesperson said the move was a win-win situation because the white former owners were also set to lose their land as it would be incorporated into Parks estates.

Gumbo said that Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti had been asked to expedite the eviction of the politburo colleagues among other beneficiaries.

A high-level Zanu PF official also said Mugabe had during the politburo meeting accused the beneficiaries of greed by grabbing SVC when they had benefited under another government economic programme.

“The rest of the land besides Bippas, under wildlife, will now fall under government through Zimparks. Zimparks will choose how to protect the area. Most likely Zimparks will lease the properties while the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources [Campfire] is expected to play a leading role to benefit communities,” the official said.
“The rationale behind the politburo decision is that we are trying to see how the local communities should benefit from the abundant wildlife resource in that area. So [Environment, Water and Climate minister Saviour] Kasukuwere was asked to cancel all the offer letters that were signed by his predecessor [Francis Nhema] while Lands minister [Douglas Mombeshora] should find land to resettle those that did not have farms.”

The Zanu PF and military elites who had benefited from the SVC seizures include Retired Colonel Claudius Makova, Lieutenant-Colonel David Moyo, Major-General Gibson Mashingaidze, Assistant Commissioner Connel Dube, Masvingo provincial intelligence officer Chibaya, Major-General Engelbert Rugeje, Brigadier-General Livingstone Chineka, the late Higher Education minister Stan Mudenge, politburo member Nelson Mawema, Lands minister Douglas Mombeshora, ex-Masvingo governor Titus Maluleke, Zanu PF central committee member Enock Porusingazi, Senator Shuvai Mahofa; Zaka East MP Samson Mukanduri, and ex-MPs Ailess Baloyi, Abraham Sithole, Noel Mandebvu and Ronald Ndava.

Others included former Tourism secretary Sylvester Maunganidze, Masvingo provincial administrator Felix Chikovo, late Vice-President Simon Muzenda’s son and Public Service deputy minister Tongai Muzenda, Elliot Takawira [believed to be related to national hero Leopold Takawira] and Buhera South MP and war veterans’ leader Joseph Chinotimba.

However, another high-level official said: “Save Valley has been very successful for wildlife. Villagised resettlement is untenable. Mombeshora was tasked with finding alternative land to resettle those people that will be removed from Save.”

The politburo reportedly discovered that it was erroneous to parcel out the conservancy without taking due regard to the tourism potential in the area given Buffalo Range Airport was a gateway to the world’s biggest animal kingdom Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park straddling Gonarezhou National Park, Coutada 16 (Gaza) in Mozambique and South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

“The politburo wondered how some among us invaded a wildlife jewel and therefore made redundant a national airport like Buffalo Range. The politburo has moved to correct that,” the official said.

The politburo also ordered party officials to stop the rush for safaris and that all conservancies such as Midlands and Gwayi, among others, be turned into national parks.

Transport minister Obert Mpofu, Matabeleland North provincial minister Cain Mathema, ex-Matabeleland North governor Thokozile Mathuthu and late Vice-President John Nkomo who resettled in the Gwayi River conservancy will also lose their properties.

The SVC issue has been divisive in the Zanu PF politics as Cabinet ministers have been fighting over the issue. Tourism minister Walter Mzembi, who was also initially allocated a property in the conservancy, but later withdrew, was involved in a public spat with Nhema while recently he clashed with Kasukuwere over the matter.

But, the Zanu PF Masvingo provincial executive has repeatedly labelled Mzembi a “sell-out”.

SVC has drawn support from the World Wildlife Fund and investors from Europe and the United States who were protected under Bippas.