The State v Ian Manning

Dear Adela,

Brendan and I appeared before a High Court judge today, who gave 14 days for more submissions supporting the affidavits of ours and Immigration's - judgement to be made on the affidavits, with a promise of a judgement in March. The affidavit produced by Immigration was ...interesting. However, the case rests on Section 30 of the Investment Act which clearly states that if investors obtain investment certificates they must be issued with self-employed or resident permits. What we got, as you know, were one year residence permits, which they then refused to extend on the supposed grounds that our business was not 'viable'. He also instructed Immigration to issue us with permits which will carry us through March. Power, I am reminded, is not what you are given but what you assume. However, we do wonder what happened to the Zambia Development Agency in all this. They were paid to facilitate our investment status and have left us high and dry. And the Zambia Business Forum? And I wonder if Business Action for Africa, of which we are corporate members, will do something. I still await confirmation of their anti-corruption programme in Zambia - touted at the recent G8 meeting in Germany.

Meanwhile legal warnings have been issued to the DG of ZAWA and Senior Chief Luembe to halt all moves by them to part Mbeza Safaris and its hunting concession, or to be in contempt of court. The DG was going around Safari Club International (SCI) in Reno last week, telling people that we had been 'terminated': not true, as our Community Resource Boards thwarted the move. He also told a meeting of Community Resource Board representatives - gathered illegally and without the support of their full Boards in order to terminate three hunting concessions from their lawful concessionaires (Nyampala, West Petauke and Msoro), that he had been told by government that I would not be issued with a work permit. Of course, behind all this are crooks and corrupt officials who object to my whistleblowing on illegal land alienations and who slaver after the land which our Luembe Conservancy Trust has legally under its control for 60 years. And the crooks want the concession. But at least the OP (the Shushu) no longer park outside my gate, the eight black shirted men with Dracula written on their back have not come back after the suburbs wild dogs chased them off, and my phone can no longer be tapped, and the fact that my emails were intercepted and our agents got to and warned not to send us business, may yet be overcome.

We have had Transparency International Zambia's full support, for which we are most grateful. And our attorney, Wynter Kabimba, is fearless and highly competent. Without TIZ and our attorney, and a still free judiciary, we would have been long gone, our $1.7 million yet another tombstone to the idealist investor, our communities, our schoolteachers, our little foster home, wondering what the hell happened to us.

A sympathetic Immigration officer told me recently during my recent two hour ordeal at the airport when coming back into the country, that a number of investors are being similarly treated; but they accept their deportations, never to be seen again.

And a word of congratulations to my friend Roy Clarke (Kalaki), and to Sara, who were reprieved from deportation by the Supreme Court, the latter observing that freedom of expression was one of the strong attributes of a democratic society. Let us hope whistleblowing is as well.

Many thanks for all your support. La lutra continua, and FAGA MOTO!
Yours aye
Ian

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I. P. A. Manning
Co-Director: Luembe Conservancy Trust
Director: Gamefields Ltd
M.D. Mbeza Safaris
Corporate Member: Business Action for Africa (Anti-corruption programme)
Mobile Lusaka: 260 977 618246
http://zambiawatch.wordpress.com

Zambia Wildlife Authority official, Andrew Nkhoma, continues to sabotage community development.

A report just received from the Chairman of the Luembe Community Resource Board in the Luangwa Valley, is that the Nyimba ZAWA Community Liaison Officer, Andrew Nkhoma - who recently was party to the illegal arrest and abuse of a foreign hunting client - see http://zambiasafarihunting.blogspot.com and his seriously ill professional hunter, used undue pressure on Board members at a meeting on 28 December (convened to workshop finance management) and obtained a statement of condemnation of Mbeza Safaris operations and its delivery of community assistance. The Chairman has written a letter of objection to ZAWA.

Mbeza, which is funded by its holding company, Gamefields, the latter investing to the tune of $1.6 million in Mbeza and in the Luembe Conservancy Trust since 2003, was bought to assist in the development of the area. However, officials such as Nkhoma, doubtless upset by our revelations on the Nyimba ZAWA office's operation of a bushmeat and ivory poaching operation, would wish to have us removed, joining those with similar sentiments at ZAWA HQ and in some political circles. The only reason that Gamefields and Mbeza continue investing in Zambia is precisely because we have overwhelming community support. Should that not be forthcoming, we would be the first to accept that we were not wanted, and pack our bags. Mr Nkhoma has not heard the last of this.