Footprint of destruction
Daily News 21 May 2011
Oscar Nkala
ZanuPF instigated farm invasions turned vast areas of previously safe animal sanctuaries into wastelands of perennial plunder by foreigners, government officials, religious ministers and ordinary rogue national parks rangers, according to a Gwayi Conservancy Hunting report released recently.
The detailed report of 2003 reveals that Out of Africa Adventurous Safaris (OAAS) was not the only South African outfit involved in plundering Zimbabwe’s rhino heritage.
It details poaching activities of South African brothers Piet and Hendrik Uys, listed as directors of Northern Weapons which also trades as ‘Noordlike Wapens’ out of Louis Trichardt in the Northern Province.
The siblings are reported to have conducted extensive illegal hunts in the Gwayi Conservancy throughout 2003.
The Uys brothers are alleged to be the owners of three Toyota Landcruiser trucks with registration numbers NWZ 918 GP, FBD 185 N and DPK 173 N.
“These characters were very active throughout the year within the conservancy mainly concentrating on Gwayi Ranch, Hankano Ranch, Lot 1 of Dete Valley, Railway Farms 35 & 36 and Chimwara Ranch.
They hunted indiscriminately, shooting young animals, females etc.”
In the course of the year, Gwayi valley Conservancy members also questioned illegal hunters on their farms.
“The names of South African hunters included Andre de Jaager who was caught poaching while driving a blue Landrover vehicle registration number DMT 498 GP and one R M Saunders, believed to be of Jack Rand, Alberton in Johannesburg who claimed to have been brought into the country by Elephant Eye Safaris.
“They were seen in the company of three American hunters and de Jaager shot and wounded a buffalo on Sotani Ranch. At that time de Jaager was staying at a Lodge on Chamankanu Ranch. He was also seen hunting on Lugo Ranch (owned by Vice-President John Nkomo) and Skukungwa farms.
He has been arrested twice for hunting illegally on Skukungwa Ranch”, reads part of the report.
South African national Mark Sparrow of Fair Chase Safaris in Polokwane, using a vehicle with old Zimbabwean vehicle registration number 587 150F, was also reported to have conducted extensive illegal hunts. “Sparrow has been hunting on Hankano Ranch and Lot 1 of Dete Valley.
He has already made offers to property owners from Masuna.
His desire to purchase land is not illegal, but is an indication of his presence in the area. He is involved with the Uys brothers,” the report says.
It also sheds light on the activities of Henry F. Neil, described as a “controversial Cape Town clergyman.”
“Neil is a minister in the Rock of Africa Christian mission in Cape Town. He apparently would not allow any blacks into his church there, and is quite happy to form illegal liaisons with black Zimbabweans.
He is apparently assisting a school in the Gwaai area to justify his position there.
He has been working out of Kalambeza Lodge which is situated on Umkondo Ranch within the Gwayi Valley Conservancy.”
The report adds: “This character is known to the Conservancy for the destruction and decimation of the natural resources and wildlife on Carl Lisa and Bindonvale estates he was leasing. He was the first person in the Gwayi Valley Conservancy to receive an order to stop all activities, including hunting operations, chopping of trees and general destruction of fauna and flora on his land.”
French national Jerome Sefridi, the director of Indaba Safaris of Number 10 Anthony Potts Road, Fortunes Gate in Bulawayo, is also listed as having brought dozens of hunters from France to hunt illegally in the Gwayi Conservancy.
The report says he acquired Lots 40 and 41 of the Railway Block farm which includes an Intensive Conservation Area specially reserved for the safe breeding of the prestigious Presidential Herd of elephants around September 2003.
It describes the plunder that follows:
“Lot 41 and Lot 40 have been taken over by Orbert Mpofu (Governor of Matabeleland North).
He managed to acquire hunting permits from National Parks, authorizing him to conduct hunting safaris in these areas, which are photographic areas only.
Although there have been reports recently that National Parks have put a ban on hunting in Hwange Estate, home of the Presidential Elephants, hunting vehicles are still operating here.”
A safari company linked to Thandiwe Nkomo, the daughter of the late Vice-president Joshua Nkomo, is reported to have conducted extensive illegal hunts on Railway Farm 31, Railway Farm 37 and lot 1 of Dete Valley from October 2003 and was still hunting in the same concession areas in the first quarter of 2004.
Lalapanzi Safaris, which is owned by one brigadier Ben Matiwaza and his relative Zeph Matiwaza, who owned Zambezi Milling Company at the time, also employed professional hunters Jed Moyo and Gary Hopkins to conduct illegal hunts in the Gwayi Valley Conservancy.
“This company was operating illegally within the Gwayi Valley Conservancy, concentrating their operations on Antionette Ranch, Railway Farm 35 and 31, Goodluck Ranch and Chimwara Ranch.”
Investigations also linked illegal activities to Dingwell Safaris, a company owned by American national Don Bouwer. Ivory Safaris, also trading as Ivory Lodge, which is situated in the Sikumi Forest zone of the Hwange National Park, employed a Zimbabwean professional hunter to help its foreign clients conduct illegal hunts in and around the Sikumi Forest area.
“This company employed Bagman Chauke, P.H.Licence No: 6092 B, as a professional guide or camp manager who is supposed to take photographic clients on safari drives for Ivory Lodge.
He allowed foreign hunters to stay and hunt out of this lodge under his guidance.”
In mid-2003, poaching investigators in the Gwayi Valley area witnessed an increase in the number of safari companies which were using forged hunting permits and inflating the number of animals allocated in legal quotas.
One such company was Dream Merchant Safaris, which the 2003 hunting report describes as follows:
“This company was using Zengela’s Safaris (Chamanuka Farm) operator’s licence (number 0008) without the farm owner’s permission and on their pre-hunts have put the name Ugere/bo (Pvt) Ltd.
National Parks signed a blank pre-hunt form for their activities and on another quota application the company Dream merchant Safaris was used, but neither gave the client information norstate what farm the hunt was to take place on.
Poaching detectives also observed the illegal hunting activities of former and serving national parks staffers mark Russell, who was by then a senior ranger at Sinamatela camp, former parks employees Headman Sibanda, Chauke and ex-parks pilot Albert Paradzai.