Govt Takes Over Wild Life Farms

[pomoxis]

Zimbabwe Standard (Harare)
January 8, 2006
Posted to the web January 9, 2006
Our Staff


GOVERNMENT says it is going ahead with its controversial Wildlife Based Land Reform Policy despite pleas of a review from disgruntled operators. Operators last week said they were negotiating for a review of the policy, which had not adequately addressed indigenisation of the sector and ownership rights.
"It's a controversial issue. We are engaging the National Parks (and Wildlife Authority)," said Clive Stockhill of Save Conservancy without elaborating.
However, Environment and Tourism Minister Francis Nhema said on Friday that the policy was ready for implementation with the State waiting to identify "suitable" beneficiaries.
"Animals belong to the State. The policy has been approved and we are now waiting to identify people with ability to run conservancies," Nhema said.
He however said the policy design was scientific and beneficiaries were expected to pay white operators for the use of their infrastructure.
"Indigenous people would have to buy into the infrastructure. The design was scientific and intended to save the ecosystem," he said.
Industry officials however told Standard Business that white operators were edgy about Government's intentions to indigenise the sector given its track record of land seizures. Government's land reform programme was characterised by violent farm invasions and a chaotic distribution exercise, which saw land being given to a few elite.
"There is a lack of trust between the white farmers and the government. White farmers feel the policy needs to have clearly defined business principles that should see indigenous farmers buying equity into their conservancies. They do not want a repeat of the land reform," said an industry official.
The policy - designed in line with the land reform policy - requires that owners of "conservancies and game ranches (to) surrender portions of their land to accommodate indigenous Zimbabweans". It is also based on the premise that all wildlife belong to the State.
The wildlife policy will be administered by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, which would issue out 25-year leases "in accordance with the Land Reform Policy". Nhema said the leases would be reviewed on expiry but indigenous farmers would rather they be given full title to land.