to the family of the deceased, who were by then using
inflammatory rhetoric questioning anti-poaching laws
and questioning how an animal’s life could be valued
above a human life, &c.
8. Bowa should have been protected by the Parks and Wildlife
Indemnity Act, but the trial magistrate misdirected himself
and ruled that the Indemnity Act only applies within
the Parks and Wildlife Estate, while in fact it applies
anywhere in the country.
Based on the facts in the case, National Parks will lodge
an appeal on behalf of Maxwell Bowa, and there is every
reason to believe that this will be successful. As far as the
“sinister motives” that many folks are now querying, apart
from the mishandling of the case by the local police and
trial magistrate, there doesn’t seem to be much of a “bigger
picture”. Sadly, because local people do not receive the lion’s
share of the rewards from sustainable use of their wildlife, they
have little incentive to protect it, and conservation legislation
is often regarded as a collection of outdated “colonial” laws
which are no longer relevant. - Editor.
Dear Editor
At the United Nations, the French President warned that the
Central African Republic could be the next Mali, five months
after a loose coalition of Chadian and Sudanese-backed rebels
over-ran the capitol. Anyone have an idea how this is impacting
the safari industry?
Andre De Georges
USA
Dear Editor
Thank you for sending me Tim Braybrooke's rendition of the
shooting of Dhlulamiti. It certainly clears up a lot of untrue
stories. So it was Richard Harland who guided Verster onto
Dhlulamiti. I feel much better now knowing the truth. I am
also thankful to Tim for clearing up the myth that Machavana
was Bvekenya's gun-bearer. It makes a lot of sense to know
that it was his father who was the gun-bearer. Old Mack was
just pinning medals on his own breast!
Ron Thomson
South Africa
The Dhlulumithi story was one that I’d initially thought might
be of casual interest to our readers, especially the ones who
had read The Ivory Trail. Little did I know when we ran the
story a year ago in our last Convention Issue that it would
take on a life of its own and a lot of answers to old questions
and mysteries would come to the fore. It was one of those
gems that just kind of kept growing on its own through the
feedback. - Editor.
Dear Editor
I have just recently returned from a visit to the wonderful
Hippo Pools and feel compelled to highlight the fact that the
tranquil National Park is being seriously subjected to fully
mechanised pontoon-type gold dredging rigs in the middle of
the Mazowe River.
On our arrival the colour of the river water, which should
have been crystal clear at this time of the year, was unusually
murky. Our immediate thoughts were that illegal gold panning
upstream was responsible. However early Sunday morning I
African Hunter Vol. 19 No. 2
[email protected]
was woken by an unbearable noise. Out of curiosity, I took a
stroll upstream to investigate the noise.
To my horror, there were two fully mechanised pontoons in the
middle of the Mazowe River, with full dredging operations in
progress. The dredging is done by bucket conveyor, complete
with rock sorting capabilities. Obviously gold recovery being
the main objective. The operator of the rig was Chinese.
I find it extremely strange that these operations are being
allowed to take place within very close proximity to a National
Park and camp, disturbing the river system for a start, the
animals and the tourists who visit for peace and quiet.
Ronnie Henwood and Johan Hougaard
Thanks for the information. Prompted by your letter, I did
contact management and was invited to take a look see for
myself. It was as you described, though the rigs lay dormant.
This was due to the fact that the operation was indeed illegal
and Police Support Unit from Harare were called in to evict the
owners/operators. This happened the day before we got there
in mid-October. Apparently, they had also been instructed to
remove the rigs from the river. While there is obvious signs of
damage to that section of river immediately around the rigs
(as they were simply dumping sorted silt back into the river
reducing the depth of 8’ or so, to less than a couple of inches),
a good scouring by the coming rains will help settle this. In
spite of all of this, the fishing was still good at Hippo Pools,
so the short operations have luckily not done any lasting
damage. - Editor
Dear Editor
My Volume 18 Number 6 issue recently arrived, and I marveled
at the wonderful job of editing and layout that my story on
the Three Generations of Hunters in Nambia received. I was
wondering if it would be possible to purchase another issue
so that I could present it to the family members mentioned in
the story?
Frank Darcey
USA
I have included this letter not because it makes us look good
- but it does, and thank you for your kind comments, Frank
- but because I hope it encourages more hunters to write up
their hunts and send them into us. And hopefully, subscribers
will have noticed that we have subtly changed our layout
format so as to maximise the use of photographs and give
our readers a better experience. And also, we would be more
than happy to supply our contributors with additional copies
of magazines that their stories have appeared in - just drop
us a line. - Editor.
QUICK FACT
when the white rhino
Things looked bad in South Africa in 1895
animals throug