Kruger headache returns
Poachers play dirty to get what they want
Rhino Poaching
Mnangagwa, Shamu in Rhino horn scandal
Read and weep
World Ranger Day
WildInSouthAfrica.com
Trip to Virunga National Park, DRC
It’s Time To Change
Does Anyone Know This Game Ranger
Shoreline
Tailpiece
Hi again,
Herewith, some snippets from various sources.
I appeal to you to send me items to distribute to our members for the Cleft Stick, the Game Ranger magazine and to be posted on the web site. These are your magazines and website, so ensure it gets the news that you would like to see in it.
Please let me have any changes to your physical address, phone no. or e-mail address to keep the database up to date. Remember this is the address we will send your Game Ranger Magazine to.
Thanks to all of you who have made the effort. Please will any of you who know of members who do not get this “electric” Cleft~Stick, & have access to e-mail, pass their address along to me.
Don Yunnie
7 Chalet Drive, Hilton, 3245, South Africa Local Tel & Fax (033) 343 1534
Int. Tel & Fax (+2733) 343 1534 cell 082 377 7562, E-mail dyunnie@xsinet.co.za
If you do not wish to receive this e-mail newsletter please send a blank e-mail to me at the above address with the word “Unsubscribe” as the message heading.
Please feel free to write to express your views on the content or the subject of any of the articles in this magazine – to the address above.
Kruger headache returns
YOLANDI GROENEWALD | JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Jul 21 2009 06:00
The government is at sixes and sevens over whether land in the Kruger Park should be returned to land claimants, a parliamentary briefing highlighted recently
.
This follows the angry response of many communities that have lodged claims in response to Cabinet's decision in December last year to offer them money or alternative land.
The announcement created the impression that the final chapter had been written in the protracted saga of land claims in South Africa's premier nature reserve.
The Mail & Guardian understands senior Cabinet ministers, including Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, supported the decision, which was driven by her predecessor, Marthinus van Schalkwyk.
But a hearing two weeks ago highlighted the continued unhappiness of the land claims commission over the Cabinet decision.
The Minister of Rural Development and land reform, Gugile Nkwinti, told Die Burger that a new proposal could be made to the new Cabinet to have the decision reversed. Nkwinti said the government should be more sensitive to the needs of claimants.
"We don't want another Khutsong," he said. "The previous Cabinet took a decision and we will abide by it until a different decision is made, but it is an issue that has to be resolved."
The dispute reportedly involves about 400 000ha, with 38 communities lodging 19 claims. The land claims commission told Parliament that it would need R20-billion to compensate the claimants and that it did not have the money.
David Mabunda, chief executive of South African National Parks (SANParks), did not want to comment on the parliamentary debate this week, but said the park still aligned itself with the December Cabinet decision. He said half the communities claiming land in the park were happy with the Cabinet's decision. "We have begun to explore opportunities on how we as SANParks can give tangible benefits to make a difference in the lives of the claimants," Mabunda said.
At the parliamentary hearing, land committee chairperson Stone Sizane grilled land claims commissioner Blessing Mphela on land claims in the park, asking him if he favoured returning land under claim.
Mphela said the Kruger Park claim was one of the commission's biggest headaches: "We have always believed that the land should be restored and we have obtained a legal opinion to that affect," he said. "The opinion said it should not be possible for anyone to place a restriction on what is a constitutional prerogative."
He said the former department of environmental affairs had made a submission to Cabinet and that the commission had not had much of an opportunity to make its argument.
The commission was advising unhappy claimants to fight the decision in court.
Land claims commissioner Pulane Molefe told the M&G the commission was not reviewing the Kruger claims, but said there was a "scoping exercise … to determine the financial implications, as well as the political and social impact if the claim is to be settled by alternative redress". Molefe said that, once completed, the exercise would assist the commission towards "facilitating" claims or "advising Cabinet".
Mabunda said SANParks had well-researched valuations of land in and around the Kruger Park, which indicated that the land was worth considerably less than the land claims commission's estimate of R20-billion.
"We would be happy to share our land evaluation expertise with the commission," he said. "The financial compensation would be millions, but certainly not billions."
He urged the commission to use agricultural land prices in doing the evaluation.
Apart from the Makuleke community, the only community to receive 25 000ha in the park, SANParks has also started to assist the Mjajane community who, apart from their Kruger land claim, also own 4 000ha adjacent to the park.
SANParks has given the claimants animals for this land and has proposed a facility for tourists visiting the community's land to cross into the park for game viewing. This would mean removing the fence between the community and the park.
Claimant communities will benefit from a tourism levy that will deliver at least R6,5-million to communities, and the park's 10 fuel stations would be contracted out to communities, Mabunda said.
"It is easier for SANParks to assist claimants who already own land," he said. "We are looking to do the same with the other claimant communities that accept the Cabinet decision."
Poachers play dirty to get what they want
By Eleanor Momberg July 19 2009 at 11:23AM
The South African trophy hunting industry is being used to bypass the moratorium on the trade in individual rhino horns.
The government last year introduced the moratorium to allow enforcement and conservation agencies to align their protocols for dealing with the rhino horn trade after it came to light that hunters were applying for permits to shoot rhino but that the hunts never took place.
Instead, the permits were used to export poached rhino horns through legal channels.
'We do not want to be part of anything that is illegal'
A year after the implementation of the moratorium, the Professional Hunter's Association of South Africa (Phasa) advised its members last week not to "book and conduct hunts with nationals from Vietnam or other Far Eastern countries" until the government had "removed this abuse of the SA legal system".
Peter Butland of Phasa said evidence from enforcement and trade monitoring agencies showed a direct link between the export of rhino horn from recent legal rhino hunting by Vietnamese, rhino poaching on private and state land, cross-border smuggling, the theft of rhino horn from stockpiles and museums and Far Eastern syndicates.
The hunting and conservation fraternity's concerns about the link between trophy hunting and the escalating rhino horn trade came as SANParks said it would not suspend the sale of excess rhino stocks as long as national legislation and policies permitted. Between 200 and 350 white rhino are up for auction this year.
"SANParks will continue to sell and distribute these animals in accordance with our management strategies," said David Mabunda, SANParks chief executive.
His statement followed the suspension last week of the sale of 200 rhino to John Hume, a game farmer, purchased under last year's quota. That suspension was implemented because 10 of the 72 rhino translocated to North West province as part of the purchase had died - the cause of which was still to be determined.
'This is creating a lot of problems'
Denying the rhino he had purchased would be hunted, Hume had said that he removed the horns of all rhino on his properties and stored them in the hope that the international trade in rhino horn would be legalised some time in the near future.
The removal of the rhino horn, he said, deterred poachers, but did not stop hunters from China and Vietnam coming to South Africa to legally participate in a trophy hunt in order to secure a rhino horn for sale once they returned home.
Hunting bodies and the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) expressed concern about the practice as it created a link between the legitimate trophy hunting industry and demand for rhino horn.
Butland said: "We do not want to be part of anything that is illegal, that is linked to crime syndicates or to organised crime in the Far East. It is of extreme concern to us."
Jan van Niekerk, the SA Hunters and Game Conservation Association chief executive, said it supported the sale of rhino to approved institutions that contributed to improving conservation.
But, he admitted, there were unscrupulous people who abused the system, including foreign hunters partaking in legal trophy hunts just so they can access the rhino horn.
Yolan Friedman, chief executive officer of EWT, said the trust was very nervous about the sale of rhino from conservation areas to hunting operations given that a link was being created between trophy hunting and rhino horn hunting, which was feeding the market at a time when rhino poaching had reached a 15-year high.
It remained unknown what was causing the present spike in demand for rhino horn, traditionally used as an aphrodisiac in the Far East, and as dagger handles.
"This is creating a lot of problems around bona fide trophy hunting. We question the systems that are in place to check whether the industry is being used to feed the rhino horn market, which is insatiable.
"It is a question of what they do with the horn once it gets to the other side."
Because people wanting rhino horn in the East were able to access them through the trophy hunting industry, it was driving up the prices.
Hunters' associations confirmed that two rhino were hunted in South Africa by trophy hunters from Vietnam last year at R1 million each.
While EWT, like the World Wide Fund for Nature and SANParks, was not opposed to trophy hunting as it contributed to conservation through wildlife management, the new trend was leaning towards hunting becoming a financial tool only.
SANParks denied this, saying the sale of rhino was scientifically determined.
The South African rhino population was healthy.
There were between 9 000 and 12 000 rhino in the Kruger National Park and more than 4 000 in private hands.
Mabunda said SANParks did not have anything against hunting or hunters as long as they did not hunt in national parks.
Morné du Plessis, chief executive officer of WWF South Africa, said rhino conservation was not cheap, particularly with the constant threat of poaching.
"Thus, it is not unrealistic for a management agency to dispose of animals at a market-related price in order to generate funding to reinvest in the conservation management (including security measures) to ensure the safety of primary founder populations."
o This article was originally published on page 2 of Sunday Independent on July 19, 2009
Rhino Poaching
I thought you might want to disseminate to the GRA members the fact that in the last three to four months 9 White Rhino have been poached in the eMakhosini-Opathe Heritage Park.
6 Animals were killed in the Ophathe section, and last night or this morning, another 3 were shot on Schoonstroom which is just north of the Melmoth/Vryheid main road. It would seem as though these incidents have been kept pretty quiet as I certainly haven’t seen anything in the press. For us to lose White Rhino to poaching is alarming let alone from a smallish conservation area like this! This is an indictment on the organisation charged with managing and securing our “protected” areas in KwaZulu Natal.
My one comment is that during my time as Park Manager at the EOHP between 2005 and the end of 2006 not one Rhino was lost to poaching, and I in fact advised the WWF that it would be premature to introduce Black Rhino due to security concerns. By way of background, during my tenure there, I formed an APU which was very effective. This unit was formed with the full knowledge of both Ezemvelo and Amafa – and the support of WWF. After my voluntary departure it was alleged that I “did not know what I was doing” and the APU was disbanded.
Best regards,
Brian Kemp
email: brianrho@mweb.co.za
Mnangagwa, Shamu in Rhino horn scandal
Zimdaily.com, Monday July 13
HARARE In a scandal that has sent tongues wagging in the official corridors of Zimbabwe, a police docket against two ZANU PF heavyweights Emmerson Mnangagwa and Webster Shamu has vanished from attorney-general Johannes Tomana’s office.
And, efforts to give Tomana a copy of the docket has seen the police superintendent who was in charge of the investigations transferred from his posting at Bulawayo Central police station to a rural outpost at Nzvimbo in Chiweshe.
The two high-profile figures had been implicated in massive poaching of rhinos in Zimbabwe’s national parks.
Mnangagwa, who earned notoriety as the head of the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) ministry in the early 80s, is the current defence minister in the government of national unity.
Shamu is the media and information minister.
What triggered the investigations on the two was the arrest of a Chinese national early this year when he was found with six rhino horns at a police roadblock along the Hwange-Bulawayo Road.
He implicated a businessman in Kwekwe whose name has been withheld by the police. The businessman then pointed fingers at Mnangagwa and Shamu.
The two government ministers are said to have been launching their operations from HKK Safaris, a conservancy Shamu co-owns with South African businessman, Charles Davy. Davy is father to Prince Harry’s former girlfriend, Chelsy.
Davy has in the past been accused of violating hunting quotas and Zimbabwe’s then stringent foreign currency regulations at their conservancy near Hwange national park but has been shielded from prosecution by Shamu.
The octogenarian despot Robert Mugabe is said to be deeply embarrassed by the allegations against his trusted lieutenants, especially now as he has been decimating the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)s representation in parliament by arresting and sending its members to jail on flimsy charges.
The President (Mugabe) is very, very embarrassed, said environmental and natural resources management minister, Francis Nhema, last week. He asked me for the names of the ministers involved.
Nhema, however, refused to admit or deny the two Mugabe right-hand men were the ministers in question.
This comes before an imminent censure from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) after the southern African country officially lost more than 70 rhinos in the past 12 months to well co-ordinated Zimbabwean and international poaching syndicates.
Sources say the number of rhinos lost to poaching syndicates is by far higher than the official figures. A parks and wildlife senior official, who refused to be identified said more than 300 rhinos were lost to poachers last year alone.
What you read in newspapers is just a tip of the iceberg, he said. We are losing the war against poachers as they are backed by the same people who formulate the laws.
Zimbabwe was early this year placed on the agenda of the next Cites meeting to be held next year. Cites to which Zimbabwe is a signatory is an international wildlife protection body whose secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
Areas hardest hit by rhino poachers are the Hwange national park, which borders with Shamus HKK Safaris and the South-Eastern Lowveld, where other poaching syndicates are said to be heavily present.
It is the first time Mnangagwa, who has in the past been linked to illegal gold dealings in Zimbabwe, has been implicated in rhino poaching. He is, however, credited with moving stealthily against anyone who stands on his way.
Currently, he is in a bitter battle with Vice-President Joice Mujuru, to succeed Mugabe as leader of the ruling party and eventually take over the reins in the troubled country from the ageing dictator.
The scandal is set to bolster calls for Tomana’s removal from office, seen by the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC as Mugabe’s frontman in persecuting the opposition.
Tomana’s appointment as attorney-general and Gideon Gono’s re-appointment as central bank governor have been referred to SADC for arbitration as they were unilaterally done by Mugabe without the agreement of the two MDC formations.
Under the global political agreement (GPA) such senior appointments have to be agreed to by all parties in the unity government.
Read and weep
if you ever get the chance to travel and see places I suggest that you do so now – according to the attached report many species are on the brink of extinction and it may just be a last chance to see.
Embargoed until 00:01 GMT, Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wildlife crisis worse than economic crisis – IUCN
Gland, Switzerland, 2 July 2009 (IUCN) – Life on Earth is under serious threat, despite the commitment by world leaders to reverse the trend, according to a detailed analysis of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™.
The IUCN analysis, which is published every four years, comes just before the deadline governments set themselves to evaluate how successful they were in achieving the 2010 target to reduce biodiversity loss. The IUCN report, Wildlife in a Changing World, shows the 2010 target will not be met.
“When governments take action to reduce biodiversity loss there are some conservation successes, but we are still a long way from reversing the trend,” says Jean-Christophe Vié, Deputy Head of IUCN’s Species Programme and senior editor of the publication. “It’s time to recognize that nature is the largest company on Earth working for the benefit of 100 percent of humankind – and it’s doing it for free. Governments should put as much effort, if not more, into saving nature as they do into saving economic and financial sectors.”
The report analyses 44,838 species on the IUCN Red List and presents results by groups of species, geographical regions, and different habitats, such as marine, freshwater and terrestrial.
It shows 869 species are Extinct or Extinct the Wild and this figure rises to 1,159 if the 290 Critically Endangered species tagged as Possibly Extinct are included. Overall, a minimum of 16,928 species are threatened with extinction. Considering that only 2.7 percent of the 1.8 million described species have been analyzed, this number is a gross underestimate, but it does provide a useful snapshot of what is happening to all forms of life on Earth.
An increased number of freshwater species have now been assessed, giving a better picture of the dire situation they face. In Europe, for example, 38 percent of all fishes are threatened and 28 percent in Eastern Africa. The high degree of connectivity in freshwater systems, allowing pollution or invasive species to spread rapidly, and the development of water resources with scant regard for the species that live in them, are behind the high level of threat.
In the oceans, the picture is similarly bleak. The report shows that a broad range of marine species are experiencing potentially irreversible loss due to over-fishing, climate change, invasive species, coastal development and pollution. At least 17 percent of the 1,045 shark and ray species, 12.4 percent of groupers and six of the seven marine turtle species are threatened with extinction. Most noticeably, 27 percent of the 845 species of reef building corals are threatened, 20 percent are Near Threatened and there is not enough data for 17 percent to be assessed. Marine birds are much more threatened that terrestrial ones with 27.5 percent in danger of extinction, compared with 11.8 percent of terrestrial birds.
“Think of fisheries without fishes, logging without trees, tourism without coral reefs or other wildlife, crops without pollinators,” says Vié. “Imagine the damage to our economies and societies if they were lost. All the plants and animals that make up Earth’s amazing wildlife have a specific role and contribute to essentials like food, medicine, oxygen, pure water, crop pollination, carbon storage and soil fertilization. Economies are utterly dependent on species diversity. We need them all, in large numbers. We quite literally cannot afford to lose them.” The report shows nearly one third of amphibians, more than one in eight birds and nearly a quarter of mammals are threatened with extinction. For some plant groups, such as conifers and cycads, the situation is even more serious, with 28 percent and 52 percent threatened respectively. For all these groups, habitat destruction, through agriculture, logging and development, is the main threat and occurs worldwide.
In the case of amphibians, the fungal disease chytridiomycosis is seriously affecting an increasing number of species, complicating conservation efforts. For birds, the highest number of threatened species is found in Brazil and Indonesia, but the highest proportion of threatened or extinct birds is found on oceanic islands. Invasive species and hunting are the main threats. For mammals, unsustainable hunting is the greatest threat after habitat loss. This is having a major impact in Asia, where deforestation is also occurring at a very rapid rate.
"The report makes for depressing reading,” says Craig Hilton Taylor, Manager of the IUCN Red List Unit and co-editor. “It tells us that the extinction crisis is as bad, or even worse, than we believed. But it also shows the trends these species are following and is therefore an essential part of decision-making processes. In the run-up to 2010, the global community should use this report wisely to address the situation.”
Climate change is not currently the main threat to wildlife, but this may soon change, according to the report. After examining the biological characteristics of 17,000 species of birds, amphibians and reef building corals, the report found that a significant proportion of species that are currently not threatened with extinction are susceptible to climate change. This includes 30 percent of non-threatened birds, 51 percent of non-threatened corals and 41 percent of non-threatened amphibians, which all have traits that make them susceptible to climate change.
Red List Indices make it possible to track trends of extinction risk in groups of species. New indices have been calculated and provide some interesting results. Birds, mammals, amphibians and corals all show a continuing deterioration, with a particularly rapid decline for corals. Red List Indices have also been calculated for amphibian, mammal and bird species used for food and medicine. The results show that bird and mammal species used for food and medicine are much more threatened. The diminishing availability of these resources has an impact on the health and well-being of the people who depend on them directly.
“The IUCN Red List provides a window on many of the major global issues of our day, including climate change, loss of freshwater ecosystems and over-fishing,” says Simon Stuart, Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and co-editor. “Unless we address the fundamental causes of unsustainability on our planet, the lofty of goals of governments to reduce extinction rates will count for nothing.” To read the full report, Wildlife in a Changing World – an analysis of the 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, please click here. http://data.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/RL-2009-001.pdf
For more information or to set up interviews, please contact:
• Sarah Horsley, IUCN Media Relations Officer, t +41 22 999 0127, m +41 79 526 3486, e sarah.horsley@iucn.org
World Ranger Day
I am a Park Ranger with the U.S. National Park Service and am putting together a display for World Ranger Day 2009 (July 31st). I was hoping that your organization may be able to send me a few digital images of your rangers/wardens or related staff performing their job(s). It would be very much appreciated and would go far to help us promote recognition for those who work in our field(s) around the world. Thank you.
Respectfully, -Bill Barley, [mailto:Bill_Barley@nps.gov]
George Washington Birthplace National Monument
National Park Service
1732 Popes Creek Road
Washington's Birthplace, Virginia 22443
United States of America
WildInSouthAfrica.com
57 Seligna Street
Brackendowns 1448
Tel 082 871 8626
Fax 011 403 4050
Email: lawrencejp@vodamail.co.za
3 March 2009
Dear guys and gals of The Game Rangers Association
I am in the process of developing a web site called WildInSouthAfrica.com, which includes interesting facts and articles for wildlife adventurers, birders, anglers and divers. I plan to expand this to link to as many travel and safari related companies as possible worldwide. The trial site will be up and running by the end of this month and the full commercial site, which will offer the ‘online magazine’ as well as photo downloads, will be online hopefully by the end of June.
The success of this site will be in the content. I am therefore requesting submissions of interesting and/or amusing articles about wildlife and safari experiences, trips and tips. You don’t have to be an expert writer to send articles, as all material will be revised and edited before publication. I would like to stick to South Africa as this site is targeted for our region, although the occasional article from bordering countries will be included. As I progress I will include a section for articles from around the world.
The articles should include either pictures and/or drawings (at least one but not more than three) and should not be too long, approximately 300 words, as I want to include a variety of short pieces in a single issue. The ‘mag’ will be produced as a monthly. Individually negotiated payments will be made to authors of articles, which are accepted for publication, 30 days after publication. Only email articles can be accepted because I need fairly high-resolution pictures. These should be sent to lawrencejp@vodamail.co.za.
An added bonus to submitting articles is that all the articles received will be considered for a wildlife annual published at the end of the year. Nett proceeds from the book will be distributed among the contributors.
Your assistance in helping me showcase South Africa’ wildlife and safari experiences to people around the world will be greatly appreciated. Please either place this letter on your notice board or distribute to all your members and potentially interested parties. Feel free to call me at any time if you have any questions.
Thank you
Lawrence J Pinnoy, Email: lawrencejp@vodamail.co.za
Trip to Virunga National Park, DRC
From: Linda Nunn [mailto:linda.gorillas@googlemail.com]
Sent: 18 July 2009 01:31 PM
To: Arrie Schreiber; Wayne Lotter; Tim Snow
Subject: IRF/UK charity Gearing Up 4 Gorillas (G4G)
Tim - you may or may not remember me from Congress at Stirling. I work with Virunga NP, DRC & colleague of Gordons.
Tim / Arrie / Wayne - sorry to ask but we have a very good 4x4 near Kruger somewhere (hopefully finding out today exactly where) that has basically been donated to Virunga National Park, DRC. What is the best way of going about finding someone to drive it from Kruger to DRC border?? Virunga would pay fuel and border costs etc & I'm sure the return journey for the driver(s).
Could either of you put me in the right direction to find willing driver(s)?? Might that be possible?
Thanks for your time all,
Linda
See below pic of vehicle and its whereabouts. If we can find driver(s), I then need to put you/them in contact with the donor here to sort out paperwork to take etc etc.
Virunga would then need to agree meeting up at appropriate border crossing.
I'll email Emmanuel now.
Many thanks
The Vehicle is currently in the limpopo Province but on the other side close to the Botswana Border in a town called Ellisrus or Lehpelale.
Just heard from Emmanuel.
It’s Time To Change
Hi Don,
Perhaps GRAA is interested in NaDEET’s new sustainable living activity book- “It’s Time To Change”. Check it out on our website under www.nadeet.org Educational Material section.
Cheers,
Viktoria Keding, Director
Does Anyone Know This Game Ranger
Douglas Campbell ( Hazyview Area? )
Dear Andre,
Are you perhaps able to assist me in tracing an old friend who I believe was/is a gameranger somewhere in the Hazyview area (??)
His name is DOUGLAS (Dougie)CAMPBELL and would now be about 70. He went to Boksburg High School in the late 1950's and stayed in the Primrose, Germiston, area.
I would appreciate any advice you might be able to give me in this regard.
Yours sincerely
Gerard Lee,
Shoreline
A new television series, Shoreline, starts on Monday 13 July at 19.30, temporarily replacing 50/50 on SABC 2. This 13-part series (14 if one includes a last episode of behind-the-scenes footage) covers the archaeology, history and marine biology stories of the 3000 km long South African coastline, from the Orange River to Kosi Bay. The series uses an anchor presenter, actor Peter Butler, and three specialist presenters: Eleanor Yeld (marine biology), Nomalanga Mkhize (history) and Gavin Whitelaw (archaeology). The presenters visit various shoreline sites, talk about them and interview local experts. The film footage is stunning, shot in HD, the sound quality is extraordinary, the pace is energetic and the direction brilliant. Welcome to Shoreline
Tailpiece
A lawyer purchased a box of very rare and expensive cigars, and then insured them against, among other things, fire.
The lawyer sued and WON!
Delivering the ruling, the judge agreed with the insurance company that the claim was frivolous. The judge stated nevertheless, that the lawyer held a policy from the company, which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable, and also guaranteed that it would insure them against fire, without defining what is considered to be unacceptable "fire" and was obligated to pay the claim.
Rather than endure lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the ruling and paid $15,000 to the lawyer for his loss of the cigars lost in the "fires".
Linda
Linda Nunn
Chair, G4G
01725 553149 / 07801 531205
Border crossing would have to be either Bunagana, if they’re coming from Uganda, or Gisenyi, if coming in through Rwanda.
Both are pretty safe & quiet at the moment. Others are a no no, as i'm sure you know!
A long drive......
NaDEET
Physical address: NamibRand Nature Reserve, Maltahohe
Postal address: PO Box 31017, Pioniers Park, Namibia
Tel:+264 (0)63-693012, Fax:+264 (0)63-693013, vkeding@nadeet.org, www.nadeet.org
BENONI
Phone : (011) 849-7150
Within a month, having smoked his entire stockpile of these great cigars and without yet having made even his first premium payment on the policy the lawyer filed a claim against the insurance company.
In his claim, the lawyer stated the cigars were lost "in a series of small fires."
The insurance company refused to pay, citing the obvious reason, that the man had consumed the cigars in the normal fashion.
After the lawyer cashed the check, the insurance company had him arrested on 24 counts of ARSON!
With his own insurance claim and testimony from the previous case being used against him, the lawyer was convicted of intentionally burning his insured property and was sentenced to 24 months in jail and a $24,000 fine.