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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
A PROMINENT Victoria Falls game farmer, Tendai Musasa, has taken Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) director-general Edison Chidziya to court for allegedly refusing to renew his hunting permit.

Musasa, through his lawyers VJ Mpofu and Associates, yesterday filed an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court seeking an interim order compelling the ZimParks boss to issue him with a hunting quota and permit for 2016.

In papers before the court, Musasa and his company, Words of Advice (Pvt) Ltd, are the applicants while Muchinguri-Kashiri, Chidziya and the founder of Woodlands Farm Community Trust, Lameck Nkomo, were cited as the respondents.

Musasa, who was denied the hunting permit that was issued to Nkomo under the Woodlands Farm Community Trust, accused Chidziya of favouring Nkomo whom he claimed was interfering with activities at the disputed safari farm.

In his founding affidavit, Musasa, who runs Woodlands Farm situated outside Victoria Falls, said his hunting contracts have been cancelled because Chidziya did not renew his permit.

“I’ve had hunters cancel their contracts because I don’t have a hunting permit. This is adversely affecting the villagers who are shareholders as they risk being destitute,” he said.

Musasa, who claims to be acting on behalf of 118 other Woodlands Conservancy shareholders, said he has been the recipient of hunting quotas and permits from ZimParks since 2007.

He said Chidziya’s refusal to issue him with a permit was an act of bias and improper exercise of discretion based on favouritism.

“This is an improper exercise of discretionary power and shows favour to the third respondent (Nkomo),” said the farmer.

The 12,600 hectare game conservancy has been at the centre of a wrangle pitting Musasa and his mother Judith Maphosa on one hand and close to 120 beneficiaries of the land reform programme on the other.

The villagers accuse Musasa of imposing himself and clandestinely exploiting resources at their expense without remitting money to the community as expected.