Mujuru loses multi-million dollar hunting concession

COLOGNE - The late war hero, General Solomon Mujuru, has allegedly lost a multi-million dollar massive hunting concession he acquired in 2007, as his estate continues to crumble apart, amid claims the first Zimbabwe army commander at Independence died a broke man, Spotlight Zimbabwe reporteed.
 
General Mujuru has been ranked among the richest people in the country, owing to his cross-section of business interests cutting across mining, telecommunications, insurance, agriculture, transport, tourism and investment in the construction industry.



The general is reported to have lost the prime Chewore South hunting concession in the Zambezi Valley, which he acquired for $1,6 trillion dollars in local currency then, beating about 20 other prospective buyers.
 
The concession was put to bid by the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority on July 13 2007, and is said to measure about a million acres in size and attracts safari hunters from all over the world.
 
According to wildlife sources, the Chewore hunting concession was one of Mujuru's blue-chip ventures, but a four-member consortium which allegedly fronted the acquisition for him, has muscled in to take full control of the lucrative business due to their new revised political ties, with Mujuru's former political foes in Zanu PF thought to be aligned to vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa.
 
"The consortium was at risk of losing the concession, and they have had to switch loyalty to General Mujuru's enemies in the ruling party, who were threatening to seize the business," the sources said.
 
"Now they jointly own it together with a government stake, through the auspices of the national parks and wildlife. It was all political. A very powerful politician close to Mugabe almost took over the concession, but they had a change of heart."
 
This reporter spoke to Mujuru, at the time he reportedly made the acquisition in a telephone interview for a private newspaper in the capital, which did not see the light of day, where he denied any knowledge about the Chewore concession.
 
General Mujuru said he had nothing to do with the Chewore hunting concession acquisition adding that people were in the habit of associating big business deals with his name.
 
"Handimo (I‘m not part of it)," he said. "Vanhu vanongoti zvese zvese Mujuru. Nyora hakozvaunoda. (People are in the habit of linking me with everything. Go ahead and write what you feel like.)
 
Cape Town based Sun Safaris, who run Chewore lodge, have described Chewore South, as a:"Prime fishing and wildlife location within the Chewore Safari Area, which is one of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites situated along The Zambezi Valley. This valley, which runs along the border between northern Zimbabwe and Zambia is one of the largest, most remote, least populated and undeveloped wilderness areas on planet earth."
 
The Zambezi Valley is also regarded as one of the prime areas in Africa for hunting dangerous game such as elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard.

Chewore South hunting concession is a wild and remote area approximately 126km from the Harare to Chirundu main road.

President Robert Mugabe, last year threatened to take over local white-owned safari operations during his 91st birthday celebrations in Victoria Falls.

"We are not owners of the animals even that run hither and thither in our forests," Mugabe said.

"They (Europeans) still have farms and privately they arrange with visitors in America to come, they do their own things and pay themselves; kill animals carry trophies with them. There is no supervision. But we are now going to invade these forests."