In 2010 I scheduled a 1X1 10 day buffalo and plainsgame hunt with African Silwane Hunters (Pty) Ltd, a company in Sa headed by a Zim citizen named Steve Williams. The outfitter was recommended by a PH that I have dealt with in the past and had two good reports in the Hunt Report.

I was accompanied by a friend who also booked a 1X1 Buffalo and plainsgame hunt. The hunt was to be conducted in Metetsi #2 with a Zim PH in 2011. Due to business reversals I had to delay the hunt until July of 2013. African Silwane charged an administrative fee for carrying the hunt for two years. A fee I freely agreed to.

I was in contact with Steve Williams in between booking and arrival. During that time the location of the hunt changed from Metetsi #2 to woodlands than to Kazuma. Upon departure Dr Joe and I expected to hunt Kazuma with a PH per hunter. We planned to spend a day in Vic Falls so we booked at the Ultimate Lodge where we were privileged to meet Russell Caldecot.

The first hint of trouble occurred during dinner at the Ultimate Lodge when a PH also staying with Russell, Craig Robinson, stated that he had just run into the PH I was scheduled to hunt with and he was in the middle of a hunt with another client. He also opined that he doubted that we would be in Kazuma, he was about to go to Jofuta camp and was sure that he would see us there. The next morning after Joe and I checked out we waited to be picked by by our PHs, and waited and waited. No one showed. It was Sunday and no one from African Silwane answered our calls or emails.

Craig and Russell called the various camps and tried to locate the PH I was to use and tell him that we were waiting at the Ultimate Lodge. Finally we checked back in and spent another night with Russell. The next morning Russell was able to contact the PH. He came to the Lodge and told us that we would be picked up by an appy and taken to Kazuma that afternoon.

Our Ph would arrive that night and we would begin to hunt the next day, cutting our hunt to nine days. In addition, since we were hunting on Forestry Department land, we would have to hunt 2X1 as they would only allow one more hunting vehicle on the concession. He said that Steve would make it up to us. A few hours later we were picked up by an appy, Aubury, and taken to Jofuta camp, not Kazuma, where we checked the zeros of our guns and waited for our PH. The next morning James Rosenfels had arrived. James was a good PH and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone. James told us that he had been called by a couple of days prior to our arrival and asked to take on a 1X1 buffalo hunt.

He had never hunted the Fuller Forrest, Pandmasuie and Kazuma areas before but was told that the other PH knew the area well. It was only when he left that he was informed that it would be a 2X1 hunt.

To make a long story short, we hunted 2X1. Joe shot a Buffalo on the third day in the Fuller Forrest but the herds left the concession the same day so I never had a chance for one. There was quota for tuskless cow elephant so we headed to Pandamasuie on the 4th day and I took a tuskless by noon, which was a thrill. On the ensuing days Joe took a baboon and a zebra and I took an impala. We never saw buffalo again.

Meanwhile we heard nothing from African Silwane until the last hunting day when Joe was able to contact Steve Williams who apologized and said that he would make it up to us. After returning home I communicated intermittently with Steve Williams in an effort to settle up. Intermittently because his replies to my frequent emails were sporadic. Prior to leaving for the hunt I had prepaid my expected trophy fees so he was holding a good bit of my money.

After a couple of months he made a proposal to me: he would refund a days daily rate, the difference between a 1X1 rate and 2X1 rates and my unused trophy fees and I would pay the administrative fee for carrying the hunt. I felt that the difference between the 1x1 and 2x1 one rates was a bit low, but never the less I agreed to the proposal which netted out to a refund to me of $6,465.00.

To date I have received nothing. Several months ago he promised to send half the amount but when I asked him to confirm that funds had been wired, he didn't reply. I have had no reply since May 2. My friend Joe has never had a reply to his emails in over a year.

Needless to say, I do not recommend that you book with African Silwane or any company owned by Steve Williams.

Positives were the thrill of hunting a tuskless cow, accompanying a friend on his successful buffalo hunt, and simply being in Africa. Throughout the hunt I decided to relax and enjoy the hunt and worry about everything else later. So I did and enjoyed myself. A highlight was lunch at Kasuma camp and meeting Hutty who was hunting there with Guave Johnson and had also taken a tuskless cow.

Sorry for the length but I wanted to lay out all the details.

Terry- I'd like to read your post, but you need to break it up into paragraphs! Its very difficult to follow it as is and you seem to have some concerns that members might want to address. Edit your comments here and I'm sure you'll get more responses.

For my own future reference and anyone else that might be considering hunts with "African Silwane" and the "Steve Williams" you did business with, its nice to know your comments will be available to anyone doing an internet search!

Posting your experiences here might also be a good idea: http://www.huntingreport.com/m...%20Silwane%20Hunters

Yes, it is difficult to read. Try breaking

it up into paragraphs and double spacing.

I did read through it and want to thank you

for making this post. It is important we share

information like this so we know who to avoid

in the future. I am glad you made the best of

a bad situation and I do hope you eventually

recover what is owed to you.

terry a tough spot to be in.

Your is not the only report that i have read that went somewhat like your...

Terri sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation . Glad you posted you thoughts on the hunt . I have had a similar experience in Namibia In 2013 thinking about posting it . You kind of jogged my memory. I think it is important that that" I tell it how it is" to the hunting community as did you . Interesting to see if the Outfitter will respond

I remember the beginning of this story. Sorry the hunt did not turn out quite like you wanted. Hopefully you will at least receive your refund.

http://forums.accuratereloadin...871004171#4871004171

Terry:
Thank you for your hunt report. I had no trouble reading it at all. I had a similar problem on my last hunt in S.A. in 2012 and never posted it. Many promises made none kept. I just put it on the back burner and tried to mark it off as a lesson well learned. I will have to reconsider and post a report.

Paul K

I'm shocked!!! An African outfitter not refunding (stealing) money that is yours! How unusual,,not! I'm sure there are honest outfitters in Africa, but the percentage of scumbags seems a bit high. And some AR members wonder why it was mentioned that the outfitters get their hands on as little of your money as possible until the hunt is completed to everyone's satisfaction. All I can say is "Africa would be great if you didn't have to deal with Africans (no matter what the color of their skin)"

It was easy to read!
It is a shame you went through that, this guy should be boycotted if this is method of operation.
I have no idea how many African outfitters use the deposit money when it arrives to fund current operations. I don't even know if it is illegal there. I am sure it does occur and ethically it shouldn't. Check you references and backgrounds of the people you are dealing with. I would trust trust the people in Zim I go with (and have for 26 years now}with any amount of money. Most people are honest and some through bad management don't mean to be dishonest but get in over their head. Some, a few are just crooks. the onus is on us to check.

Haven't there been other complaints about this Williams character?

I have added breaks to Terry's post.

I hope he does not mind, as it tends to help make it easier to read.

Terry,

This is the sort of report none of us here like to hear about, as it should never have happened.

But thank you for posting a heads up for us all to bear in mind.

I do hope you get your money back.

Thank you for the edit Saeed.
I hope to be made whole, but I'm not holding my breath. There was much that could have ruined the hunt if I let it, but I made a conscious decision to embrace just being there and enjoyed my hunt. Individuals can take your money, but they can't take your joy unless you let them. No matter what happens embrace the moment, take joy in what is there and deal with the problems after the hunt.

this sucks - but what a great attitude from terry

Sorry to hear about your bad outing. Hindsight is 20\20 but a SA company, ran by a Zim guy? " I hunted with a SA company with Zim Connections" is usually the start of a sad story. With all the reputable operations in Zim, I hope you will put your next safari in the hands of an experienced outfit, many who post regularly here. I would also bring ethics charges against Williams with the Zim Professional Hunters Assoc ( ZPHGA ) Dallas Safari Club, and SCI, and let him know it's in the works. Unacceptable on every level.

quote:

To date I have received nothing. Several months ago he promised to send half the amount but when I asked him to confirm that funds had been wired, he didn't reply. I have had no reply since May 2. My friend Joe has never had a reply to his emails in over a year.

I "seriously" thinking of starting a service for just this eventuality. For a minor fee I'll send over a couple of guys who will break these SOB's legs on camera for you.

I am just so sick and tired of hearing about this kind of stuff.

http://www.africansilwanehunters.com/

Terry is this the correct company? On their website they have a contact page. Maybe some of us should "contact" them in regards to this thread. I will. Blake

My wife and I hunted in Zim aa few years ago and Steve Williams was the outfitter. Had a great hunt, but our two PHs never did get paid. Bad guy.

Sorry this happened to you, the hunting industry is full of crooks, sorry you ran into one of them.

A few years ago I booked a leopard hunt with Christie De Sousa, who as many of you know, recently passed away. After Namibia put a moratorium on leopard hunting, I asked for my deposit of $3,000 back. It took forever to get it - I finally did receive it indirectly via a client of Christie's who owed him money.

For the life of me I don't understand how people can run a business with such thin liquidity.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like you cancelled your hunt on short notice (based on the fact you had sent the trophy fee ... it's not normal to do that until just prior to departure). If so, you were lucky the outfitter did not just keep your deposit when you cancelled your hunt. He was within his rights to do so. That's why it's called a deposit. A hunting camp is like an airline seat. If you fail to show at the last minute, the camp staff sits idle as it's very hard to sell a hunt for a particular species in a particular area for a particular week on short notice. Regardless, they still have to be paid.

Also, it's not irregular for a postponed hunt to be switched to another area. Matetsi 2 is a good area but the outfitter that has it one year may not have it the next year. I suspect your outfitter bought some quota in that area for 2010 and you can't transfer unused quota from one year to the next. Use it or lose it. Again, that's why it's called a deposit.

What is irregular is not showing up to fetch you on the appointed day. The 2x1 thing sounds like it was forced by Parks but I have never heard of a limit on vehicles by Parks in any hunting area. I think the problem was they could not find a second PH, and "your" PH was double booked somehow. 2x1 hunts are only $50 per day cheaper than a 1x1 because a PH is paid around $100 a day. So saving one PH saves each hunter $50 per day.

What is also unforgiveable is to promise to refund your money and then to disappear. Unless he has gone bankrupt in which case you are SOL.

Finally, a TL hunt back then (2011) was about a $8K hunt, while a buff hunt was about a $10K hunt. So I can't relate to your expectation of a $6K refund.

quote:

For the life of me I don't understand how people can run a business with such thin liquidity.

Try running a hunting outfit in Africa, or a number of other businesses, the back-handers alone can thin a man's liquidity.

quote:

Originally posted by Scriptus:

quote:

For the life of me I don't understand how people can run a business with such thin liquidity.

Try running a hunting outfit in Africa, or a number of other businesses, the back-handers alone can thin a man's liquidity.

Does that justify screwing your clients??

Russ
I did cancel at a late date, and I do realize that African Silwane would have been within their rights to refuse to carry the hunt over, which they did twice.
The original hunt was quoted at $12,500, which I paid in full before the first cancellation. The deal did change between 2011 and 2013. I prepaid trophy fees for a hoped for tuskless, an increase in trophy fee for buffalo, and various plainsgame before I left for the hunt in 2013.
I related the various changes in location, etc, because I wanted to give a full accounting of our experience.
My complaint is that we agreed to a financial accounting, in writing, and to date I have not received any of the monies that African Silwane agreed to pay to me. Had I recieved the monies, I would have been happy to report that we had a few glitches with the hunt but the outfitter made us whole. That is what I hoped to do which is why I have waited over a year to make any mention of the hunt.

Terry,

Bad deal. You canceled, but they agreed to extend for an extra fee. They had an obligation to deliver what was agreed.

Glad it sounds like you had a reasonably good hunt in any event. Thanks, likely, to an unfortunate freelance PH who got stuck with this safari and busted his tail to get you the best hunt he could.

Think about it from the PH's perspective; he agreed to a 10 day 1 on 1 with the other hunter covered by a PH familiar with the area. He got a 2 on 1, in an area he was unfamiliar with, which got shortened to 9 days.

Sounds like pretty remarkable results for the PH. But I doubt if either you or he will hunt with these guys again.

Does sound like the PH did his best under the circumstances.

However you state you a shot a buff and the herd never returned. Not much of an area that only has one skittish herd of Buff to chose from?

My PH, James Rosenfels did a great job, I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone. He is not a PH who regularly guides with African Silwane, in fact I believe that that was the first time. He guides on his ranch in Zim and in Moz. I believe this outfit is Western Safaris. I hope he got paid.

I was in camp and met Terry and Dr. Joe.

They both came infor lunch and Terry had on his AR hat and we struck up a conversation about what had transpired.

Terry had a damn good attitude considering all the screw ups on steve wiliams part. Thankfully they were staying with Russell at Ultimate who took it upon himself to try and help them out.

I stayed at Ultimate post hunt and Russell told me the story as well. I know that Terry had held off for quite sometime because he was hoping Steve would do the right thing.

I was told that Forestry limits the amount of cars that can actively hunt in the concession as I was planning on coming over with a larger group (nixed that plan)

I can say there were not many buffalo on the block the time we were there. I didn't see any during my 10 day tuskless hunt. Another hunter from Germany was there in search of Buffalo also and finally got a shot on day 8 of a 10 day hunt.