Xhauxhwatubi Dev Trust to auction game

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Friday July 2, 2010 00:00

The auction, to be held on, July 13, 9am, at Thamalakane River Lodge in Maun involves, 22 elephants, seven buffalo, two gemsbok, three kudu, two Zebra and other plains game.

The chairperson of Xhauxhwatubi Development Trust in Diphuduhudu village, Omphile Mash Libalamwe has told Mmegi that they resorted to auctioning their quota of wildlife this year after they fell out with, Out of Africa Adventure Safaris, their partner in the last five years, whom they claim still owes them millions of pula.

Libalamwe alleges that from the first year of their partnership, the safari operator, who is currently at large has never honoured his contract, resulting in the Trust laying off eight escort guides, and a radio operator.

Libalamwe claims the safari operator defaulted on land rental, which he was supposed to pay before the hunting season. She says the operator also failed to pay them the agreed fees for game.

The chairperson says in 2008 their lawyers even failed to recoup the half a million Pula owed to them by the safari operator.  She further alleges that the safari operator owed them P700,000 last year, which he failed to pay. The police, said to be looking for this South African investor, have yielded no positive result so far.

According to Libalamwe if the investor had honoured the agreement, the Trust, would have realised P1.8 million a year for hunting quota only. However the organisation has had to borrow funds from another development trust to make ends meet. 

In the agreement, the investor makes money by selling these animals to overseas tourists at inflated prices to make a profit.

Libalamwe says the decision to auction the game was taken after they failed to find an alternative investor.She added that their wildlife area has not yet attracted photographic tourism, like other parts of the Okavango and Chobe districts.

'We have never done this thing before (auctioning), the hassles of selling game has always been borne by our joint-partner, we will see how it goes, but we are in desperate need of money at the moment', she said.