Zimbabwe: Zim Gov Takes Over Protected Sanctuaries



By Marcus Mushonga

Harare — THE government over the administration of sanctuaries, including those protected by bilateral agreements, in order in order to restore normalcy in the industry, the Minister of Environment Climate, Water and Natural Resources Saviour Kasukuwere has said.
The move has put to an end a standoff between property owners in the affected sanctuaries and the government.
The minister said the government would take over all the properties in the prominent Save Valley sanctuary including those covered by bilateral agreements adding that the government will only pay compensation to the current owners of the properties.
He however said that compensation would be paid only when money is available.
"The government has take over all sanctuaries that have been dogged by problems in the country and Save Valley is one of them," Kasukuwere said.
"We are going to maintain the fences around the sanctuary that were vandalized and we want to develop a large tourist attraction centre from the Save Valley right straight to Gonarezhou," said Kasukuwrere.
He said all those who got their hunting quotas and leases under controversial circumstances in Save Valley will lose them.
"Government is not going to take over all sanctuaries but those that have problems that seem to be difficulty to solve are the ones were are targeting and the Department of Parks and Wildlife has already moved into the affected sanctuaries to start work there.
"We are going to follow the laws of the land and make sure that the country derive maximum benefits from its natural resources," said Kasukuwere.
The minister's remarks come in the wake of President Robert Mugabe's directive that ZANU PF bigwigs and generals should vacate the Save Valley sanctuary because most of them have benefited elsewhere in the country under the land reform programme.
The Department of National Parks and wildlife management gave leases and hunting quotas to several members of the ruling party.
Meanehile, Tourism and Hospitality Minister, Walter Mzembi who argued that taking over such properties, particularly those under bilateral ties, would be counter- productive to plans to spruce the country's image internationally.





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Terrible news!

Good news or bad news? I can't tell the difference anymore when it comes to Zim.

What Ministry or Minister really has the ultimate authority over this problem? I guess not all Ministers in Zimbabwe don't walk in step with Mugabe? Are some of these Ministers perhaps positioning themselves politically to take his place?

Ultimately, the great resource that the Save Conservancy is will dwindle because the government will either take it over or just sit around and allow unqualified people become its "managers".

Classic malarkey Zim style, not that our USFWA is any better...

It seems good and bad.

It sounds like the connected leaseholders are being booted. That is good. The last sentence would seem to indicate that on of the higher ups gets it completely.

As for the rest of it, who knows.

I've been involved and trying to keep up with all of the goings on with the SVC and I'm still confused. I think the bottom line is that hunting is going ahead on the SVC and the hunting will be very good. Let's hope that moving forward the Parks involvement is not detrimental to the well being of the SVC.

Mark

Sounds like they want to make it into a Park!

I spoke with Mel Payne, who lives in Harare, about this post this afternoon - she said they had heard nothing about this and her husband Mike Payne (PH) was actively hunting with a couple of Italian clients in the Save as we spoke. If I hear more, I will post more info. I am scheduled to fly to Zimbabwe on 19 August, and my hunt is in the Save, so I have a real interest in this topic.