Travel: The aborted excursion

A beautiful sunset

THE mighty Mzingwane River turns right then rolls over leftwards, the abrasive wrath of its vicious floods from the summer season still evident on the colossal channel. Clean clusters of basalt outcrops form the natural bed on which the giant water repository, a powerful landmark which is a sharp contrast to the thirsty wildlife-rich estates on both sides of its banks, rests.

At this point, 36 kilometres deeper into tranquil hunting forests off the Bulawayo-Beitbridge road near West Nicholson, enterprising nationals have massively invested into tourism facilities which host the rich as they extravagantly spend on game trophies while drinking expensive wine far from the hustle and bustle of modern capitals.

Matabeleland South was my next destination after taking a rest from long haul expeditions recently. This is no ordinary land. These were the fertile hunting grounds for one of southern Africa’s most powerful kings of the 18th century. The nucleus of the mighty King Lobengula’s kingdom was not very far from this land during his reign a few decades after following the period of Mfecane, the great movement of tribes from South Africa fleeing Tshaka in the 1830s.

It could be the reason why the biggest elephant trophy on this land today was shot in the province. My destination was the impressive 153 000-hectare Doddieburn Ranch. It captured my imagination after drifting into public limelight last month, following a mysterious helicopter crash involving its South African shareholder, Frikkie Lutzkie.

Lutzkie was slapped with a 42 months jail term two weeks ago, before being allowed bail and lodging US$27 000 in surety to the State. I connected with the billionaire’s aide in Bulawayo on a Saturday and embarked on the three-hour drive through old gold mines that have propelled foreigners to millionaire status. Inhabitants of the gold-rich areas outright beggars.

On the bright and sunny day, temperatures remained in the mild categories, giving us a feel into why multitudes of high-spending hunters and royalties, including the Queen of England, have spent time on the heavily fortified but magnificent wildlife sanctuary. It proudly rests on the massive banks of Mzingwane River stretching several kilometres.

The plan was to drive through to the lodges, consume a few chicken breasts and disappear into the expansive Mopani dominated savanna woodlands for a rare insight into the extraordinary lifestyles of Doddieburn’s animals. I rekindled my penchant for deadly encounters with defiant predators that lurk sporadic doom shaped rocks lining the periphery of the park as our 4×4 vehicle trudged through bumpy gravel detours, the arteries that feed into the park.

Animal footprints trailed the dusty tracks, giving the privately run Doddieburn Ranch the image of a Stone Age reserve. We were a little bit unfortunate. We encountered no game as our all terrain machine effortlessly zoomed towards expensively thatched lodges in the horizons. But we disturbed flocks of birds as they took a deserved afternoon bath on a day when winds were still. Suddenly, Kevin Brooms, our host, brought the vehicle to a halt.

We plunged straight into a rushed tour of the renovated lodges, taken over by Lutzkie last year, before the dramatic chopper crash. On the floor of Mzingwane River, whose waters magnificently rise four metres up to a special point where hunters enjoy game meat after every successful hunt, we took photos.

I sensed danger when we were told that the Zimbabwe Republic Police has a camp on sight, monitoring Lutzkie’s movements. We had to register before we disappeared into one of Africa’s most authoritative bushes. Then boom!

Security agents stormed!

“What is your interest in this issue?” one of them asked.

“Ndimi munotengesa nyika imi vekuFingaz imimi!” (You are sellouts you journalists from the Financial Gazette) he said, after I had introduced myself. Then the excursion was called off.

newsdesk@fingaz.co.zw