Fighting the irreversible

Five senior Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front officials including an army general have taken the government to court demanding hunting permits in the conservancies that they were allocated in the Save Valley, but Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere said the five were wasting their time because this was a done deal. “We have not received the summons, but the decision to withdraw the 25-year leases was a Cabinet decision, which is irreversible,” he said. The five are: Major-General Engelbert Rugeje who was allocated Humani Conservancy, former Tourism and Hospitality Industry permanent secretary Sylvester Bradah Maunganidze of Gununduwe Conservancy, former Gutu West MP Noel Mandebvu who was allocated ARDA Mkwasine Conservancy, Josiah Pasi of Levanga Conservancy and Raymond Musungwa of Makore Conservancy. They are demanding hunting licences for March to November 2014 arguing that they had already been allocated their quotas. The ZANU-PF politburo ruled that all individuals who got farms under the agrarian reform should not benefit again in the lucrative wildlife-based land reform. But this will be an interesting case to watch as several ministers also have conservancies and benefitted from the land reform.

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