Chimutengwende's appointment in 1995 was followed by the non-renewal of licences of established safari operators, hunters and fishing companies under the rubric of black empowerment. But observers say many of the new beneficiaries are individuals with political connections who won concessions by government tender rather than public auction. Last month police raided the offices of 40 white safari operators looking for evidence of foreign exchange violations. This has jeopardised the hunting industry, worth R100-million a year, as clients avoid what looks like deliberate harassment. But that has now changed.
Clients are absolutely paranoid about their trophies being held up.
A rhino protection agency recently withdrew a helicopter it had loaned the department for anti-poaching work in a row over control. And the European Union cut off funding worth R7-million when it failed to meet agreed conditions. Last month a panel of Cites experts found gaping loopholes in Zimbabwe's custody of ivory stocks. Given the problems, Cites is under mounting pressure to relocate its June meeting from Zimbabwe to Israel.