ZANU-PF officials implicated in illegal trophy hunting scams

By Tererai Karimakwenda (and wildlife activists)
14 September 2005

Several ZANU-PF officials have been implicated in illegal hunting activities that involve fake names and permits and the killing of animals in protected areas. Investigations have so far identified 4 senior officials of the ruling party and their associates who allegedly aided local and foreign trophy poachers to loot wildlife in the Intensive Conservation Areas of Matabeleland North.

Our contacts have so far named suspended ZANU-PF Matabeleland North chairman Jacob Mudenda, industry and commerce minister Obert Mpofu and welfare minister Abednico Ncube. Thandiwe Nkomo, daughter of the late former Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, has also been implicated as a partner in one area.

The Intensive Conservation Areas (ITA) were declared by Robert Mugabe in 1991 to protect the country's fragile Big Five. The area covers all farms newly occupied by senior ZANU PF officials in a scramble for prime properties on either side of the proposed Matabeleland Zambezi Water Pipeline. It spreads around Hwange, Gwayi and the Matetsi conservancies.

Investigations have since revealed direct trophy poaching, which sometimes involved the use of forged hunting permits and blank hunting quotas which do not show the name of the client or the type and location of animal to be hunted. In some cases hippo, giraffe, lion and rhino, all protected from trophy hunting by the 1991 ITA have been found added on to the hunt on legally obtained hunt permits.

Investigations so far show that between 2001 and 2004 Inyati Safaris, which is owned by Ed Kadzombe and lists suspended ZANU PF Matabeleland North chairman Jacob Mudenda as a consultant and associate, was involved in an illegal hunting permits subletting deal. Inyati loaned its permits to De Marillac Safaris, which used the permits to hunt extensively at Guzu Forest, an intensive Big Five conservation zone reserved for photographic safaris.

Zim Africa Safaris, owned by Shaun Steyn and listing Thandiwe Nkomo, daughter of former Vice-President Joshua Nkomo as a partner, is on a Department of National Parks confidential investigations list in connection with alleged trophy poaching from Dete Railway Farm 31 between 2001 and 2004. In the same Railway Farm Block, industry and commerce minister Obert Mpofu is reported to have offered numerous hunting concessions to foreign hunters until the recent hunting ban.

Mpofu is also linked to the issue of illegal hunting permits in the Matetsi Five area near the resort town of Victoria Falls. Lalapanzi Safaris, owned by B. Mutaudzi, is also on the national parks confidential probe list in connection with the use of bogus hunting licences. It is alleged that between 2001 and 2003 the company used licence 0008, belonging to Chamankanu Farm, on pre-hunts around Dete.

Lalapanzi is also being probed for using fake names like Ugere Bo (Pvt) Limited to obtain pre-hunt permits. It is also alleged to have used the trade name Dream Merchant Safaris of Box 56 Dete to conduct illegal hunts on behalf of local and foreign hunters in the same period. Some of the pre-hunt forms in questions were used blank, in some cases with crucial client information and specification of the hunt and hunting area missing.

In Matabeleland South, deputy public service, labour and social welfare minister Abednico Ncube is alleged to have pocketed R7 500 from an illegal hunt conducted by a band of South African hunters at Tshabezi Safari Farm in West Nicholson. The matter came to light when police arrested the twelve hunters in July 2003 at Beitbridge border post as they tried to export illegal trophies and bush meat.

Investigations traced the meat back to Tshabezi where it was discovered that fourteen impala, two kudu, two eland bulls and one wildebeest had been shot by the same hunters with the help of war veterans, who were at that time occupying the farm on behalf of minister Ncube.

According to the Wildlife Society of Zimbabwe, one hippo and one crocodile were also shot but left in the water at Tshabezi Dam after the hunters failed to retrieve the carcasses. The hunters were quickly released from police custody after Ncube's personal intervention following their revelation that they had paid R7 500 for the hunt to war veterans who said the money was for the minister in his capacity as new owner of the safari area.

The rest, including four teenagers, were allowed to proceed to South Africa while Mr Brummer, identified as party leader, remained behind and paid a fine for lesser offences, before being released a few days latter.

All concerned ZANU PF officials, except Thandiwe Nkomo, denied involvement in trophy poaching. Ncube also denied intervening to secure the release of the South African hunters linked to poaching at Tshabezi Farm. Mudenda admitted being an associate of Inyati Safaris but added that the relationship does not link him with its daily operations.

Mpofu denied all allegations and said he had since returned some of the farms concerned to the State. He added that he was not aware of being probed in connection with hunts going back the last three years.