I believe that ZimAfrica is/was owned by the Steyn family. The father, Basel, owns a large import/export business. His son Sean, who ran the safari-end of the company, was killed in a motorcycle accident earlier this year in South Africa.

Parks Officials to Face the Music Over Licences


Financial Gazette (Harare)
June 10, 2004


The axe could soon fall on some high-ranking National Parks and Wildlife Authority officials as it emerged this week that a crack police team had moved in to investigate allegations of corruption in the awarding of hunting licences.

Industry players had raised concern over alleged corrupt practices in the allocation of lucrative hunting licences which benefited mostly senior ZANU PF politicians and their cronies.

Sources told The Financial Gazette this week that officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sought clarification from Environment Minister Francis Nhema recently on the role of his ministry in the awarding of licences.

Nhema has denied being questioned by the CID, but confirmed that the law enforcement unit was investigating officials from the department accused of corruptly parcelling out licences and faking hunting licences.

"It is not true that I was questioned by the police. Police are investigating some irregularities that were unearthed at the National Parks. There are allegations of corruption that were levelled against some senior members of National Parks," said Nhema.

The Environment Ministry had also received reports that some National Parks board members were involved in corrupt activities and has started its own investigations.

"I met the workers and management at the National Parks and several allegations were raised at the meeting. The meeting was aimed at finding a solution to the problems affecting the National Parks," he said.

Industry players in Matabeleland, who claimed that the government had suffered prejudice worth billions of dollars, said the investigations confirmed that pressure put on senior government officials such as Vice-President Joseph Msika and Minister of Special Affairs John Nkomo had started bearing fruit.

Indigenous safari operators in Matabeleland had called on the government to intervene, but lethargy in redressing the issue had raised suspicion that ZANU PF bigwigs could be behind the development.

Police spokesperson Oliver Mandipaka could neither deny nor confirm that Nhema was questioned twice, saying he was verifying with the CID.

"I have not heard anything of that sort. Let me check with serious fraud," said Mandipaka.

Nhema said his ministry only concurred with the Department of National Parks and was not directly involved in the issuing of hunting quotas.

He said there was a lot of fighting in the safari sector as players were competing for clients. The minister is on record saying the government was serious in stamping out corruption in the safari sector.

I'm afraid so..things are changing fast since the land seizures and all is being or has been returned to the indigenous of Africa..The country is going downhill fast.

I just got a call from Pierre and he and the judge and Dale had a good RSA hunt, but packed up and left Zimbabwe after a lot of garbage over Judge Gilberts Buffalo...Pierre did get a refund for Gilbert and applied it to his Tanzania hunt, and Dale got his buffalo before the indigenous took over to show they could..They were contracted with ZimAfrica Safaris and apparantly the whole concession is now in tribal hands and is just a mess, as you can imagine it would be. My suggestion from the get go was to hunt Tanzania and stay out of Zimbabwe..

ZimAfrica, don't know anything else about it..Pierr set it up for them all with legal contracts and two trips to Zim, a year ago for the judge...It went well at first and dale shot a nice bull, then they wanted them to shoot a cow and thats illegal I think and Pierre said no way, so they said no more bulls, then things got sticky and Pierre said lets get out of here...or this is the best I could make out over the phone, so I don't know how accurate my report is...

At any rate, its done deal and Pierre won't be going back to Zim....All is well with the good judge and he needed to get home to his wife, who is ailing...so were going to take him buff hunting in tanzania in 2005...

Ray - if you hunt with fly-by night inc you are going to get hurt, in zim or tanzania. Know one operator up north who sells buff hunts at US4k and when the clients arrive they either then have to pay the "other" 4.2k for licences etc or go home!

Who the hell are ZimAfrica safari's anyway? Trying to get clients to shoot animals that are not on the pre-hunt/TR2 form just says - CROOK. Every client arriving in Zim should check
1) His PH has a licence. They have a photo on, and gives a number that is verifiable.
2) Check the TR2 form to ensure that the hunt is legal and what animals have actually been allocated! With lion hunting a fairly frequent scam is - if you have three lion on quota you sell five hunts. If the lion on quota have been shot by the time client 5 arrives you i) don't put it on the TR2 (good way to go to jail) and ii) you go through all the motions of baits etc, but you get your staff to piss on the baits, pour diesel in a circle arround the bait drags etc.

And - yes of course there is corruption in parks. The Deputy Director management was issuing permits to OoA and EK safaris for all number of other peoples farms and concessions. So whats new?

The previous Director Wilas Makombe was directly involved in the poaching of 70 white rhino at main camp a few years ago, and probably involved in considerably more that we couldn't prove. He didn't go to jail, but lost his pension over stealing $150 on a false travel claim!

Now if Ganyana hasn't even heard of ZimAfrica.....that just tells you how messed up the situation is there.

If I were a client wanting to go to hunt in Zim the only way I would book is if Ganyana told me the outfitter/PH/block was all above board!

I hope you don't mind if you receive 150 calls/emails a day asking for help after this statement.. You should set up a consulting service charging $10 per advice. You would be rich no doubt!

Mitch

For the record I surely don't know all the operators. Only those with government or tibal (communal land) concessions. Many of the game ranches operated under their own names, and many a PH has his own company. I may know the PH but would never know "his" company name.

Never-the-less, whilst I am in Harare, I have asked ZATSO for a list of all operators in good standing which I will post.

Licenced PH's are another matter- the list is public, but whilst I was in Matetsi two weeks ago, there was a hunt being run by an unlicenced PH on behalf of a company that wasn't registered in Zimbabwe!!! Oh and yes we (parks) had actually stamped the TR2 form (giving permission for the hunt). It will come unravelled when they try to get export permits and the reserve bank hold everything up while the aledged PH is prosecuted.

Why did the parks officer stamp the forms? well a warden (equivalent to a Captain in the army and in charge of a safari area) takes home arround $200 a month, and a $100 note achieves much at that level. The same goes with overshooting and ditching the unwanted animals- the game scout on the vehicle takes home arround $75 a month before field allowanced. 20 bucks ensures temporary amnesia!

Ganyana- Will an outfit like HHK, for example, be subject to this latest policy ? It would seem a move like that would be a serious interuption of cash flow.

Go to this link Zimbabwe Situation and then click on "Information on illegal hunting & poaching" [The seventh topic from the top]. Then scroll down. It reports that ZimAfrica and the Steyn's are/were involved in illegal hunting in the Gwaai Conservancy.



Regards,



Terry

Ganyana,
Sean Styn was partners with Adam Clemments some time back He and Adam were in the Safari business in Tanzania together for several years, right after they got their licenses, they parted company a couple of years back and Sean went to Zimbabwe to operate the family business while Adam remained in Tanzania with Pano Calaverez..at least thats close to what happened, He was later killed in a accident, The family has a good reputation and remained in the safari business as far as I know..I would have thought that you knew them..It was not the ZimAfrica that was the problem it was the parks and wildlife as I understand it.

At any rate I qualified my statement as I am only getting bit and pieces and we did get a full refund, so they certainly seem legitamate, as a fly by night outfit does not refund, you know that..

There is corruption in every African government (if not every government worldwide). There always has been, and there always will be.

Many people have been preaching the doom and gloom of Zimbabwe for the last 4 years now. In that time there have been thousands of clients who have had great safaris.

Some keep promoting Tanzania at Zimbabwe's expense and that is not fair. A US embassy was bombed in Tanzania not too long ago. Remember? That has never happened in Zimbabwe. I think there is more potential risk for a hunter in East Africa than anything one could find in southern Africa.

I have already had 9 clients in Zimbabwe so far this year, and all have had great trips. I have three more returning next week from buffalo/plains game hunts in Chewore with Peter Barnard. We have been speaking to them by sat phone and they have said it is the best trip of their lives.

There are still good areas and operators in Zimbabwe, and THERE ALWAYS WILL BE. Political conditions may change, but if and when they do then we will face that challenge when it comes. The Zimbabwean professionals on average tend to be about the most highly trained and most competent professional hunters I have ever met. I trust them with my clients, and I sure as hell trust them to tell me if and when things become to dangerous.

And no offense to Ray A. or his friends from SA, but if you want to hunt Zim book the hunt with a Zimbabwe professional hunter or operator with a good reputation. Ray, you book for Paul Zorn don't you? He is a good and honest PH. Don't you trust him to take care of your clients that want to go to Zim? Sure you do.

There is no need to book a Zim trip with a South African who "has a buddy or knows a guy" kind of deal. There are plenty of competent Zim professionals to help you and no need to deal with someone coming into the country on a part-time basis. There is no reason to subject yourself to the possible problems. Look at OOA, some of their past clients are now getting subpeonas.

Check references (not just those given by the company, but try and find other sources also). If someone had called around enough about the company mentioned earlier in this thread they could have easily found reason to be concerned.

Zimbabwe still has great hunting, and great value for the money. Yes they have political problems, but what country doesn't.

This is just my bottled up 2 cents. Maybe I need to let it out more often.

Regards,
John Barth
Adventure Unlimited, Inc.

Terry,

"The following information can in some cases be supported by documentary evidence"......

This was the heading over the area that listed Sean and ZimAfrica as "bad actors" and to me is pretty thin to bash someone over. I also noticed that they list the company had an indigenous partner --- seems like the fact of life now in Zim. I know ZimAfrica spent a lot of money developing Matetsi 6 the year I hunted there with them and they got forced out when the government made his father an offered he couldn't refuse....they put Sean in jail on trumped up charges. When Basel signed, his son got out.

A quick lesson in "Safari Business 101 - Zimbabwe-Style".

DB Bill,



Do you have any current information on ZimAfrica? Have you kept in touch with them? They don't seem to have a website. When do you hunt with them in Matetsi 6?



Regards,



Terry

I want to add a comment to what John has posted. I notice when I check with my sources in Zimbabwe after these "Oh my God" stories make it to our press, they describe a much smaller problem.

For example after the story on the Anthony Bodington beating on Masapas ranch in the Save Conservancy went around, I emailed my friend Gordon Duncan and his description from the local ground was much milder than what I was reading over here. Not to say there isn't some truth in all these reports, but the amount of truth varies widely.

Gordon says he and Shangaan Hunters are going to remain by the way.

If you want to hunt in Zim I think you can still find a good hunt but you have to check the people out. Beware both RSA bottom feeders and banned-list ZANU-PF land owners. I am a member of ZPHAGA and know Ganyana and Sally Bown, so I can usually find out the straight skinny chop chop.

jim

Ray

Thanks for the reply. I thought ZimAfrica was the coy associated with B. Steyn and latter contributors on the thread confirmed it.

Geez, I�m almost reluctant to say I just returned from hunting with ZimAfrica safaris. But it was such an outstanding experience, I figured I better throw in my two cents, even if I end up sounding like a salesman.

My buddy and I hunted with PH Tim Lamprecht (license #192) for an 8-day, 2 x1 plains game safari. Tim and his tracker Fidilas were simply a blast to hunt with, and we enjoyed every minute of our 8 days with those guys.

Interestingly enough, our PH Tim, is in fact a displaced landowner. He told us his family had had a 50,000-some acre ranch outside of Bulawayo that they operated hunting safaris on until it was confiscated during the land reform fiasco. In fact, they had been somewhat pioneering in having a conservation program with black rhinos on their property before the land reform. He had some regrets that those black rhinos were probably now gone, but if he had any resentment towards the remaining safari operators I sure as hell couldn�t tell.

For what it is worth from a first-timer, I was very happy with my experience. Zimafrica was incredibly accommodating, and even though we were doing a pretty basic plains game hunt, I felt as though I were as important a client as someone booking a $50,000 lion and elephant hunt. Interestingly enough, at the end of our hunt we took a day to shop in Bulawayo and when we pulled into the ZimAfrica office I did see a LandCruiser from Pierre vanTonder there � must have been cleaning up the issue Ray spoke of.

For what it is worth, I never got a single sense of the Zimbabwe turmoil the entire time I was there, and felt very safe. We were greeted at the airport by Wayne Dietrechsen who has stepped in as operations manager of ZimAfrica in the aftermath of Sean�s accident. Wayne has airport security clearance and thus was able to help with the firearms permits etc. We walked out to the lot where our PH Tim and tracker Fidilas were waiting with the Landcruiser. From there we stopped in Bulawayo at the Steyn residence to pick up camp provisions, made a quick stop by the Zimafrica office a couple miles away, then blistered off to camp south of Bulawayo.

We hunted two different properties, both of which had very well run camps and were eminently comfortable. At the first we took eland, zebra and a very nice wildebeest. We transferred to the second property midweek where we took two kudu, three impala and a warthog. At both properties we found plenty of game.

At the end of the hunting we had a day and evening in Bulawayo before our return flights home. Zimafrica put us up in a very nice and secure bed-and-breakfast, hauled us around town shopping, and treated us to dinner that evening and lunch the next day. Some of the other PH�s and their clients were returning as well, and we had a very fun evening on the town as a group, reliving our hunts. We were transferred to the airport by those same PH�s who were greeting their next clients coming in.

I�m the very definition of a middle class average joe who likes to hunt. I went to Zimbabwe on my first safari, felt 100% safe the entire time, encountered no significant glitches, and was treated like royalty on an outstanding plains game safari at a reasonable price. Zimafrica did very very well by me.

From what I saw personally and heard from the other hunters there while I was, the moderation provided by jcbarth and DB Bill is very appropriate. I think Zimafrica is on the up and up, dedicated to providing a safari in as ethical a manner as is possible in an essentially lawless Zimbabwe, with first class service to all of its clients.

Passed Sean Steyn for his PH licence back in '96. Didn't know he operated under the ZimAfrica Banner, as the family buisness is known as Sondelani ranching or sondelani Safaris. Seans "partner" at the time of his death was Thandi Nkomo. Sister in law of the minister of Environment and Tourism. For one season he was involved in hunting on other peoples property without their permission, but in 2003 stuck to his own place (for plains game) and Tuli circle (government concession). He only employed decent PH's as it was generally his own personal reputation that he was selling hunts on and didn't want somebody running his name down especially after the unit 6 debacle

And yes, Basil got properly rodgered on Matetsi unit 6. I stood at the auction and watched him pass over the equivalent of 160,000 US$ as the initial deposit- but there was a reason other than Seans arrest that he had to sign over his 50% stake in Unit 6. If anybody ever needs the truth it can be supplied. Enough said though and I feel Sorry for Basil on the loss of his Son.

John Barth,
I book for several safari companies in Zimbabwe, including Paul Zorn...Why I book with and whom I book with is a business practice and depends on schedules etc. you should know that..

To all,
This hunt, btw was set up by Pierre, and the good judge for a reason that is their business only, I only handled the money at a cost commission..None of us are upset and we will continue to be friends and hunt together in the future.

As you know I am out of Zimbabwe until things change and have so stated in the last month on many posts, stateing that with the exception of those hearty souls who insist, even after my warnings, on ventureing there..just too much going on such as holding trophies, land seizures, etc.

And I am NOT using Zimbabwe as an agenda to make Tanzania more viable, that's pure bull shit in the highest form..If you will check back on my post as long as 4 or 5 years ago you will see I protected Zimbabwe to the bitter end, and took a lot of guff for my stance, and I do not appreciate the aquisation nor that kind of trashy flame....Why would I do that I booked in both places..I made a judgment call because I intend to stay in business and don't want to deal with being responsible for someone getting injured or killed..worked to many years to hard for that to happen. Its called "responsibility" and it comes with age.

Inasmuch as I didn't cast the first stone on this subject,and such remarks anger me, I will tell those who accuse me of that agenda that the Zimbabwe government, not I, caused the situation to make me pull out. so if someone wants to blame me for using Zimbabwes poor conditions to sell Tanzania, then how would they feel if I accused them of putting clients in a potentially dangerous situation out of their greed for money and fame.....,

My advise is be careful who you accuse and of what you accuse them of, or what you wish for, you just might get it, the remark was uncalled for IMO, and I should get an apology, since you don't have a leg to stand on.....

Ray,



I know you run a good operation and believe me, my comments were not directed at you intentionally or directly. I do apologize if you took them as an accusation on yourself as that was not how they were meant to be interpreted. I knew you booked for Paul Zorn. I have known Paul for many years, but never booked for him. With that said though I would still trust him and many other PHs on the ground in Zimbabwe to warn me if they thought there was a real threat to any foreigner's safety. And to that effect, no one has made any such statements. Do you really think these guys would encourage Americans or any other clients to come and hunt with them if they thought there was a chance they would be harmed in any way? You are a reasonable man and I know you have to believe that they would not do such a thing for "greed of money or fame." If that comment was directed at myself then I can simply state the following. If I had a greed of money or fame I can guarantee you that I would not be in this business because there isn't that much of either to put up with the kind of bs we all go through.



I do believe that certain people, publications, organizations have been promoting their destinations at Zimbabwe's expense consistently for the last few years. I should not have limited it to just the country of Tanzania. I think this is where you took offence, and I do apologize. I should have included South Africa, Namibia, and even other countries like Australia. At SCI 2 years ago one of the Australian operators circulated a leaflet to that exact effect. It caused quite a stir, and he eventually issued a formal apology to all the Zimbabwean operators there at the show.



My company books hunts throughout Africa. Yes, I worry about the future of Zimbabwe (I worry about the future of all the African countries), but it does not warrant us ceasing all operations there. I have travelled there in the recent past with my family and friends, will do so again in the near future, and believe me I am not the "danger-seeking" type. I feel completely safe in Zimbabwe with my operators, and will continue to feel safe with them until they show me reasons otherwise.



I am not sure of the exact number, but I know ZATSO could give you a rough estimate. I believe Zimbabwe has hosted something conservatily over 2000 foreign clients each year for the last few years. To my knowledge not a single client has been hurt or had their safety jeopardized by any action as a result of the political situation.



Nobody, and I mean nobody, would knowingly put their clients in a situation where there was a real threat to their safety. You know as well as I do that a hunter faces more danger in the actual process of hunting dg than they would be exposed to right now by just travelling to Zimbabwe. You also know that there have been many times more acts of violence in South Africa against its whites than there have been in Zimbabwe. Do you see these warnings come up with as much frequency as you do warning about Zimbabwe? No. They blew up the Planet Hollywood in Cape Town a few years back. Does that keep reasonable hunters from hunting SA? No.



As to what I wish for it is quite simple. I wish to provide my clients with good service and great hunts. I also wish to encourage and support my long time friends (many of whom I consider family) and collegues who are facing troubled times in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe was and still is a hunting paradise in many of its areas. I believe they will eventually overcome many of the political problems.



In closing Ray, I hope you can understand my explanation. Take it as you want, but know that I did not intend to offend you. I was stating my opinion which we are all entitled to do. Agree or disagree?



Sincerely,

John Barth

Adventure Unlimited, Inc.

John Barth,
Well, your probably right, and I really only directed the first paragraph at you as an explanation, but got off on a tangent, stepped up on the old soapbox, got indignant, as I am having a bad day, and after re reading the posts, I can see how you thought it was directed at you and visa versa, but it was not intentional, you just lit the fuse that got me started in that direction, as its come up before..

No hard feelings towards you my friend as I know you and your definatly one of the good guys, and nothing in that reply was directed at anyone individual on this board directly...I tried to word that way if you read it carefully, which none of are particularly guilty of these days..

Lets just put it aside and get back to talking guns hunting and the good things in life...

Ganyana.....I would like to hear the full story of what happened with Matetsi 6 as I got caught up a bit with it as my trophies were held up for quite a bit of time. They all did arrive in find condition but it took more than 18 months. My feeling was I couldn't imagine a better area for dangerous game and sable anywhere in Zimbabwe and the camp was beautiful and extremely well run.

I never really got the whole story as I didn't want to open any old wounds....my sense was there was another safari company/PH involved.

I would rather you used my e-mail to answer when you can. It will go no further than me.

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