They say it is a government ploy to disempower people from the Matabeleland region.
The war vets, led by Dennis “Mabhotsha” Nkomo, have been camped at Janet Dube’s Guyu Safari in the Matetsi conservancy about 15 kilometres from Pandamatenga for more than six months.
They are preventing the “new operator”, Edmond Mukarakatirwa, from conducting hunts at Matetsi unit-two concession, claiming discrimination by the NPWMA.
Dube, the wife of Enos Dube, is herself a war veteran whose heroism saw her surviving a napalm bomb attack by the Rhodesian forces at Mukushi ZIPRA base in Zambia in 1977.
The late Dube was allocated the hunting concession by government in
1985 at the same time as Mike Chidziva, whose operations have not been disturbed. They became the first blacks to operate hunting safaris at Matetsi – part of efforts to help indigenous people break into the formerly white-dominated sector.
Since his death his wife has been running the concession. In 2008 the parks authority put the concession up for auction. “I sought the assistance of a lawyer and won the court case and the Parks authorities settled for an out of court settlement,” Dube said.
Now the authority maintains the empowerment period has lapsed and she should make way for a new operator.
The war vets said they were in solidarity with their colleague and would “protect the region’s economic benefits from being plundered by people from Mashonaland”.
Matetsi conservancy has seven sport hunting concessions – six operated by people from outside Matabeleland.
The ex-combatants said they had approached Vice President Joice Mujuru, tourism minister Nhema, Zanu (PF) national chairman, Simon Khaya Moyo, Minister of Mines Obert Mpofu, Minister of Home Affairs Kembo Mohadi, Minister of State in Mujuru’s office, Sylvester Guni for assistance – to no avail.
Last week, Mukarakatirwa reportedly ran amok at the safari camp threatening to beat the war vets. He destroyed a wall to exhibit his “unorthodox martial arts and kung fu skills”.
Contacted for comment, Nhema said: “I am not aware of the dispute but I would have known about it if it was a big dispute. Find out from the National Parks they might be in a position to answer you.”
Post published in: Zimbabwe News