RBZ Targets Safari Industry in Forex Blitz


Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)

March 7, 2004

Loughty Dube
Bulawayo

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor, Gideon Gono, has warned that his axe will soon descend on the lucrative safari and hunting industry, long accused of not remitting foreign currency earnings to the government.

This comes at a time when there are widespread reports of massive corruption and serious malpractices in the hunting of game in Matabeleland North province.

Gono said while there had not been any investigations in the operations of the safari industry in the country, his department was taking an interest in that sector.

"We have started to take an active interest in all sectors including tourism and I can safely say that hunting and safari operations are coming under our interest," Gono said.

He said his department is in the process of sending staff to international forums on wildlife and the operations of safaris in a bid to collect data that would be used to determine whether there are malpractices in the industry.

"We recently sent a team to attend a meeting of safari operators and their organisations in the United States in the hope that staff would acquaint themselves and understand how the industry operates from a time when the tourists leave their countries up to a time when they are here," he said

Gono, who was speaking during a seminar hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC), told the delegates that the central bank had already started initiatives to capture figures on arrivals and departures at all the country's borders.

"The RBZ is aware that there are tour operators who are bringing tourists into the country but the tourists are not booked into any hotels but are transferred into private lodges in the bush and it is difficult then to arrest foreign currency leakages but we will soon catch up with these people," he said.

However delegates challenged Gono to probe the conservancies and the safari operators whom they accused of externalising foreign exchange.

Safari operators are allegedly charging US$40 000 for elephant hunting trophies but delegates were stunned when Gono said the RBZ has no records of the lucrative trade.

Top Zanu PF officials, including ministers and governors, have taken over the running of most of the hunting and photographic concessions in the Gwayi, Matetsi and Dete areas.

The hunting industry has clinched hunting deals worth $20 billion for the next hunting season that commenced last week.

Is this where the expression "The pot calling the kettle black" came from?