From the Bulawayo Chronicle, July 11, 2005

LOCAL NEWS



Police investigate safari operator
OWEN GAGARE
POLICE in Victoria Falls are investigating the operations of Bundu Safaris after it emerged that the company was not submitting foreign currency returns to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, a senior officer confirmed yesterday.
Although he refused to give details arguing that this would jeopardise their investigations, the Officer Commanding Police Operations and Crime in Matabeleland North, Assistant Commissioner Edward Mbewe, said police were investigating the company after unearthing several irregularities at the company.
He said the general operations of the company were shrouded in mystery. It is also not clear how much foreign currency the company could have prejudiced the Government of.
“I can confirm that we are investigating Bundu Safaris in Victoria Falls. They have not been submitting requisite (foreign currency) returns (to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe) but the investigations are still at an early stage so I cannot release much information,†he said.
In an apparent attempt to escape the attention of the police, the company’s management informed police that they were merely booking clients in Zimbabwe before taking them to Zambia for safari activities.
Asst Comm Mbewe said police were now looking at the general operations of the company to establish their daytoday activities.
A source, however, said the company was registered to carry out safari operations in Zimbabwe, adding that if the company was taking its clients to Zambia, it could have been a way of avoiding remitting foreign currency to the central bank.
The source revealed that since the decline of the tourism industry in Zimbabwe in 2000, largely because of the negative publicity which the country was receiving because of the land reform programme, a lot of safari operators had either moved to Livingstone in Zambia or opened offices there, to take advantage of the increasing tourist population in that country.
Some operators who are registered in both Zimbabwe and Zambia have allegedly been taking clients from Zimbabwe for operations in Zambia as a way of avoiding the remittance of foreign currency.
Zimbabwe and Zambia are divided by the Zambezi River and both countries have benefited from the Victoria Falls which can be viewed on either side of the border. Safari operators from the two countries also share the river for activities such as boat cruises, white water rafting and other water sports.
Asst Comm Mbewe said police were still investigating hotels, lodges and safari operators in the province, which the RBZ said were involved in shady foreign currency deals. The hotels were alleged to have been booking foreign visitors in local currency while others were submitting inadequate returns.
Police launched investigations into operations of hotels in Matabeleland North last month after the RBZ published a list of hotels that had failed to declare foreign currency earnings amounting to about US$200 million.
The central bank indicated that 26 hotels including some leading hotels and lodges in Victoria Falls “forgot to collect foreign currency†while 23 hotels charged “ridiculously low figures†of less than US$20 per night to foreign visitors.
In South Africa and other countries in the region, hotel charges are more than US$50 per night.
The hoteliers could not collect foreign currency totalling US$361 million for 2 384 bed nights, while 9 756 nights earned a paltry US$629 631 in foreign currency.
The RBZ says the low rates formed an avenue for the externalisation of foreign currency.

I wouldn't give the bastards a dime if I could get out of it...Just another ruse to fill up Magabes coffer...It's one thing to pay taxes but another to support a terroist..

Ray

I tend to agree with you ///

Generally speaking in Africa MOST of the governmments have (at last) realised that Safari Hunting is a multi million dollar business and essentially white dominnated as far as the Outfitter and ranch ownership aspect is concerned and they are now starting to muscle in on the industry and trying to BLEED us honkeys dry

Mind you Ray ....

If you and I were to (truly look closely) at all our own countries income taxes, VAT, other levies, tax on fuel and other local government taxes and levies and then ADD them all up, our SOB Western governments are even BIGGER crooks than you and I might think, believe me, we are being conned all the way to the bank by our own governments as well whom spend our money on useless handouts to keep AFRICA and the LONG LIST of other undesirable countries afloat ..

It is bettert in this world to be a beggar than a hard worker as our governments can crook as well ALL in the name of poverty appeasement and bloody minded liberal attitudes

Peter is right on! Who else other than our elected officials (USA) get their jobs from the electorate, then make their own remuneration packages! Do we have any other business that operates this way - my ansewer to the obvious - hell no! The US citizen is taking the big one from the very people elected by us to SERVE us! I might add insult to injuury - 90% of them hold law degrees - go figure! Someone smarter than I said, "wake up America!"

As Winston Churchhill once said, Neva I say neva, trust big government!!

However, I don't mind paying my income tax to live in the USA, haveing been eleswhere, our gas price is still the cheapest around, our interrest rates are pretty good, my house is 4%,a vehicle can be interrest free if you shop, not a bad place, could be better and I think we pay the politician bastards way to much to listen to them whine and apply party politics that serve no good purpose to our country, but hell nothings perfect except my grandkids!!

Ray, some good points especially the grandchildren! I only hope that I am able to get my eight year old granddaughter into this wonderful sport before I go hunt the big Safari in the sky! If I can keep jeffeeso away from the 22 Hornet we are bidding on, I will "get her done"!

If those stupid bastards that work for Mugabe spent as much time working as they do trying to steal from the safari industry they could have retired by now.

It seems like this corruption crap is available wherever you may roam in Africa. At least that has been my experience with the few countries I've been to. Right now you just have to accept that your probably going to be shaken down in some form or other so prepare for it. It's a real bummer when you think about how wealthy these countries could be if they were populated by honest, driven, puposeful people.

I know this is getting off topic a bit, but us in the USA can't bitch too much about taxes. We at least get something for our taxes. This was pointed out to me by a Namibian PH friend that owns a ranch there. He pointed out to me that Americans get highways, men on the moon, aircraft carriers, ambulances that respond when you dial 911, public schools with computers, hospitals, etc., etc., etc. He pays higher tax rates and gets nearly nothing.

I've traveled around a bit (four continents) and been to a couple dozen countries. I now see his point a little better. You either pay taxes and get something, pay taxes and get nothing, or pay no taxes and get nothing.

Old Scottish Proverb

When the king asks for more than the Lord, it is your sworn Duty to thwart his evil aims!