Iden Wetherell reports on the political=20 crisis facing Zimbabwe’s tourism industry
ZIMBABWE’S National Parks Department, due=20 to host a summit of the Convention on=20 International Trade in Endangered Species=20 (Cites) in Harare in June, is facing a=20 leadership crisis which has badly dented=20 its reputation as one of Africa’s most=20 effective wildlife managers.
The department is heading a regional=20 campaign for greater flexibility from Cites=20 on the sustainable use of elephants. But a=20 parliamentary report has slammed the “inept=20 leadership” of the department and=20 recommended its replacement. The report,=20 released at the end of last year, is also=20 highly critical of Environment and Tourism=20 Minister Chen Chimutengwende, who it said=20 was ill-informed about what was happening=20 on the ground.
Chimutengwende has castigated the previous=20 parks management of Willie Nduku and Rowan=20 Martin for translocating animals from=20 Gonarezhou Park in the south-east of the=20 country to South Africa and local=20 conservancies during the drought of 1992-3.=20 The two are currently suspended and their=20 absence has led to extensive political=20 interference in the management of wildlife,=20 including a ban on further translocations.
Chimutengwende’s move reflects the=20 hostility of Zimbabwe’s political=20 leadership towards the country’s burgeoning=20 and highly successful private=20 conservancies, seen as challenging the=20 state’s control over wildlife.
But the report exonerates officials=20 involved in the translocations, describing=20 them as “good people working under very=20 difficult circumstances”. It said their=20 handling of the drought crisis led to “a=20 major publicity coup for the country”. In a=20 swipe at rival officials considered close=20 to the political leadership, the report=20 said the department was “riddled by=20 corruption, in-fighting [and] low morale”.
These conditions have led to an exodus of=20 experienced officers. Radio-collaring of=20 rhinos terminated in 1995 and the ban on=20 translocation has exposed them to poaching=20 at a time when swingeing cuts in the=20 state’s allocation to the national parks=20 has seen fewer anti-poaching patrols.
There has also been a deterioration in the=20 parks’ infrastructure such as roads and=20 boreholes, most notably at the popular=20 Hwange Park, where elephants have died of=20 thirst.
In an attempt to plug the revenue gap, the=20 department recently announced hikes of up=20 to 500% in user charges. Although=20 subsequently revised after a public outcry,=20 the new fees are still likely to deter=20 tourists.
Chimutengwende’s appointment in 1995 was=20 followed by the non-renewal of licences of=20 established safari operators, hunters and=20 fishing companies under the rubric of black=20 empowerment.
But observers say many of the new=20 beneficiaries are individuals with=20 political connections who won concessions=20 by government tender rather than public=20 auction.
Last month police raided the offices of 40=20 white safari operators looking for evidence=20 of foreign exchange violations. This has=20 jeopardised the hunting industry, worth=20 R100-million a year, as clients avoid what=20 looks like deliberate harassment.
“Zimbabwe, from the 1980s up to now, was=20 seen as a leading conservation country in=20 Africa and probably the finest hunting=20 destination,” said Harry Greaves of the=20 Zimbabwe Association of Tour and Safari=20 Operators. “But that has now changed.=20 Clients are absolutely paranoid about their=20 trophies being held up.”
A rhino protection agency recently withdrew=20 a helicopter it had loaned the department=20 for anti-poaching work in a row over=20 control. And the European Union cut off=20 funding worth R7-million when it failed to=20 meet agreed conditions.
Last month a panel of Cites experts found=20 gaping loopholes in Zimbabwe’s custody of=20 ivory stocks. Given the problems, Cites is=20 under mounting pressure to relocate its=20 June meeting from Zimbabwe to Israel.