September 2002 Plains Game Safari in Zimbabwe
By Gene Lightsey, Jr


I began reading, with a discerning eye, at an early age, many of the famous books on African hunting and have taken keen interest in the accounts of shooting and researching associated travel in foreign countries. My greatest ambition has always been to collect the Big 5 dangerous game animals (elephant, rhino, lion, cape buffalo and leopard) and experience the exciting life of a hunter as portrayed in these stories. As a child I asked myself many times why our ancestors from the state of Baden, in Germany, had not immigrated in 1749, to one of the exciting and adventuresome African countries instead of coming to the United States. Around twenty-five years ago, after reading AFRICAN HUNTER by James Mellon, of the financial dynasty of that surname, who were majority stockholders in the Mellon Bank and Gulf Oil Corporation, I decided to have two custom rifles built in suitable African big game calibers to my exact specifications just in case I ever had the opportunity of going on Safari. I viewed the reason for having these rifles prepared only as a pipe dream. In actuality, I really never thought I would go.

On 16 September 2002, I departed Hartsfield Atlanta Inter-national Airport on South African Airways Flight #210 for Johannesburg, RSA. Airline and motel reservations were made with Steve Turner, originally from the Republic of South Africa, with Gracy Travel International, Inc., 6865 Camp Bullis Road, Suite B, San Antonio, TX 78256 Phone: (210) 698-2611 steve@gracytravel.com I remained overnight in Johannesburg at Afton Guest House, five minutes from the airport, with a single room rate of US$ 39.00 and this included pick-up and delivery at the airport as well as transportation for dinner to and from the restaurant of your choice. Their e-mail address is aftongh@netactive.co.za, and their web site address is www.aftonguesthouse.com The establishment is owned and operated by Louis and Annelise Bekker both of whom are former employees of South African Airways. The place was spotlessly clean and their services and the accommodation were first class. During an excellent breakfast there I talked with several safari hunters from the U. S. as well as with Andre Viljoen, a Professional Hunter with Onjonas Safaris of Ceres, RSA.

Annelise Bekker took me to the airport the next day on 17 September 2002, and delivered me and my baggage to a Sky Cap by the name of Shorty, who directs and handles their customers though the required maze of bureaucracy with numerous stops at various places as is always required when transporting firearms as checked baggage on all airlines. The length of the flight to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, took one hour and fifteen minutes.
I was collected at the Bulawayo Airport by my Professional Hunter Alec Strauss and his wife Jan who is from San Antonio, Texas.
Their home and office address is:
Savannah Safaris
P. 0. Box 166, Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe
Phone & Fax: 263-(86) 2303
e-mail: 257164@ecoweb.co.zw
Web Site: www. savannahsafaris. net

The drive to their Nottingham Safari Camp known as KUDULAND took 3 1/2 hours on the Great North Highway, a two-lane paved road leading from Capetown, RSA, on the southern tip of the continent to Cairo, Egypt, at the northern end of the continental expanse, which, needless to say, involves traveling many miles for the entire length of the Continent of Africa. While traveling on this highway we had to stop at Zimbabwe police check points every thirty or forty miles, where the driver was asked to show his driver’s license as well as to name our destination. The trip was otherwise uneventful. << TOP >>

Original safari plans were for my thirty-eight year old son James (Jim) Wallace Lightsey to accompany me, but he had to renege at the last minute due to an exhaustive business equipment breakdown and concomitant repair expense in the vicinity of $15,000.00 to $20,000.00. Needless to say, I was always in an abject state of mind because of his absence. I was no longer eating enthusiastically. A safari is one of the most significant lifetime experiences for one who enjoys hunting and will always be remembered as one of life’s most outstanding ventures based on their bond of common interest and the kindred spirit of a father and son.

Jim phoned on 19 and 20 September from the USA and talked with me at Kuduland on the Nottingham Estate, the 62,000 acre safari camp. He asked for detailed results of the hunt. PH Alex Strauss and I were discouraged because we did not collect any game on the first day of our hunt. We were smiled on every day thereafter by Diana, the goddess of the hunt.
We would arise every morning at 5:00 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, meet for the morning meal in the dining area building at 5:30 a.m. Breakfasts included eggs (fried, poached or scrambled), bacon, sausage, coffee, toast, scones, French toast, and two large glasses of FRESHLY SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE. Clothing and sheets were washed and ironed daily. We would hunt until lunch when we would usually arrive at the FLY CAMP, which was a high point of land offering an outstanding view overlooking a water hole.

This was the site of Alec and Jan’s wedding. Nottingham’s property extended as far as you could see. There was a thatched roof pavilion with rock-floor and approaches, chairs, picnic tables, running water, two rest rooms and a roundaval style building used for storage. After having lunch there we would usually take a fifteen minute nap. I awoke from my nap there on the first day, as Alec said, “Get your binoculars and camera and look down at the water hole.” I saw my first fully grown Bull Elephant in his natural habitat. He drank for fifteen minutes and then took a dust bath before departing. Shooting an elephant was not one of my objectives as the cost of the trophy fee (i.e., the license) is $8500.00, plus an $800.00 daily rate, for a minimum of 20 days, as payment for the services of the professional hunter, all of which totals $24,500.00. Just seeing him for thirty minutes was a very exciting moment. << TOP >>

Nottingham (Nottingham Estates Private Limited, P. 0. Box 60, Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe) gets its name from the founding family of Knotts who were men of pronounced vision. Keith Knott now controls the corporation and they dwell near the Port Elizabeth area in the Republic of South Africa. Their primary source of income comes from growth of oranges and grapefruit. The entire 62,000 acres is not under cultivation. When mature, their large orange trees individually produce a ton of oranges each year. They are said to be the largest orange trees in the world. An electric fence is located around the orange grove in an effort to keep the animals out, but the monkeys and baboons know from experience that the electrified and non-electrified wires alternate. They back up 20 feet from the fence, get a running start, jump, grab the wooden fence post, and vault over the top escaping electrical shock. They are too smart to suffer from man’s decimation. Nottingham’s second source of income comes from the trophy fees of safari hunters. All game belongs to the property owner just as it does in Europe. There are approximately 50 elephants on their acreage. There are not any lion, cape buffalo, hippos, cheetah or rhino in the area.

After having lunch at the Fly Camp, which is located about ten miles from our permanent safari camp at Kuduland, we would usually return to our quarters for a siesta as the animals we were hunting usually bed down at midday and cannot be readily seen. Then we would arise at 3:30 p.m. GMT and hunt until dark. The permanent camp consisted of three roundavals with thatch roof, concrete floor, and ceiling fan, with two rooms with two single beds, a bathroom with flush toilet, a kitchen in a separate building with two large room-size walk-in refrigerators and a freezer and a separate building with a bar as a dining area.

Biltong (jerky) was always served as hors d’oeuvres while having drinks prior to the evening meal. This dining area building had no wall or windows on the front. It faces the currently dry Limpopo River. The absence of one wall, screens and windows is an architectural design commonly used in the tropics. Thatch roofs offer more cooling capacity than any other style roof. The combination of the thatch roof and ceiling fan was so efficient that we did not need an air conditioner when the ambient temperature reached 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Mounts of all animals indigenous to the area are displayed on the walls of the dining area.

The Limpopo River is the boundary between the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe, so, needless to say, a foreign country is located only 200 yards to the south. There were not any bugs, spiders or creepy and crawling insects there - only gnats. One day while hunting warthogs we found ourselves walking in a field of papyrus, a type flora I had never seen in my world travels, but I recalled from the study of ancient Egyptian history that it had been used in lieu of paper when recording their hieroglyphics. A degree of risk is involved even on the grounds of the permanent camp as an employee was recently killed by a cow elephant. They found his bicycle and then discovered his trampled remains nearby. << TOP >>

On Sunday, 22 September 2002, at the end of the day we arrived at the Kuduland camp in darkness. As Alec parked and turned the head fights and ignition off, a big guy came out of the kitchen building asking, “Have you seen a little lost white poodle?” I replied negatively thinking, “Who is this big white guy? He must be one of Alec & Jan’s friends that I have not met!” Then I recognized it was my son Jim who had traveled over 10,000 miles to be with me and to follow through with our original plans of being together on Safari. I said, “JIM, you little rascal, what are you doing here?” It was one of life’s most deeply moving occasions. Louis Bekker, owner of The Afton Guest House in Johannesburg, had driven Jim there, as there had not been an available flight that day to Bulawayo from Johannesburg. After his appearance I began eating with renewed enthusiasm. I later asked Jim how he came up with that crazy question about the lost poodle and he reported that he could not think of anything more out of place than a lost poodle in the African bush. After Jim had hunted only one day he acknowledged that we both had just become addicted to something that is very expensive.

One of the best internationally known retired rugby football stars is Naas Botha. He is now a television announcer for the game in the Republic of South Africa. Rugby is a much more difficult, demanding and dangerous game than American football as additional safety equipment is not worn by the players. Naas came to Dallas when we lived in the area and tried out as a kicker for the Dallas cowboys. When kicking the conversion in Rugby the ball must be kicked from the point where the ball crossed the goal line. If the ball crosses the goal line near the side line, when the scoring took place, the conversion (i.e., the extra point) has to be kicked from the side line.

This job is much more difficult than kicking the conversion immediately in front of the goal post, as in American football. When Naas returned to RSA he was reprimanded and suspended for one year by the Amateur Rugby Association for accepting money from the Cowboys because they bought his plane ticket. His acceptance of money from the Cowboys made him a professional athlete and he had consequently violated the rules of the Amateur Rugby Association. Naas was Rugby’s best kicker. At that time, my son, Jim, played, on the side of the scrum, on the Dallas Rugby Football Team. While living in Dallas, Naas played with the Dallas Harlequins Rugby Football Club. Jim knew Naas. Telling people in the Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe about knowing Naas on a personal basis and playing Rugby with him in Dallas gave Jim immediate acceptance with all the rugby fans we met. Jim was told that if Naas showed up anywhere he would get more requests for autographs than the former RSA President Nelson Mandela. << TOP >>

Our Professional Hunter, Alec Strauss, is a man of keen dry wit. I told him one morning as he entered the dining area, “Alec, you just missed seeing a big male baboon walk across the property!” He immediately asked, “Four legged or homo erectus?” On another occasion I remarked that on a certain issue he was a step ahead of me. He responded with, “Several!” He could respond with an original clever statement on everything that was said to him. He could easily have been a leading writer specializing in the creative humor in sarcasm for a comedian, such as Groucho Marx. I once asked Alec if, being that he was also fluent in Afrikaans, a dialect of Dutch, if he could understand German and I said, DIE LANDSCHAFT HIER IST SEHR FLACH, which means “The topography here is very flat.” I received no response, but thereafter he addressed me as ‘ROMMEL.” He is a tough taskmaster when dealing with his employees and consequently has been dubbed by them with the GESTAPO soubriquet.

A Professional Hunter has many responsible roles. He is chief of the excursion, social peer, a skilled organizer, he charts the daily direction of the hunt, he is an administrative chief, he evaluates the game before the client makes the shot, he is an innkeeper, he clarifies all the client’s questions, he facilitates the smooth operation of his team of fifteen employees, he is the man with the big gun who keeps all the dangerous game animals away from the client, he is an honorary game warden and he takes pride in shooting as little as possible in order to have you bring in fine trophy heads that will make him proud of his profession. He is your pal and your constant companion. It is also his responsibility to know about all of his client’s medical problems. Jim and I got along very well with them.
Jim used Alec’s shotgun when shooting frankolin, guinea fowl, as well as other birds. After firing on one occasion Jim instructed me to hand him two shotgun shells and I inadvertently handed him one unfired 12 Gauge round along with a fired shell. When he yelled pointing out my mistake, Alec said, “With the poor way he is hitting the birds he will not notice any difference in using a fired or an unfired shotgun shell!”

We fished one afternoon using Alec’s pontoon boat located on a man-made lake by the name of Mashona Mtsholoshokwe. Our catch was small so we passed some of the time swapping yarns and tales while drinking devils water and resting from the game trail. We saw two crocodiles on this lake and heard a story about a cow getting stuck in the mud here. The owner tried to pull her loose with a rope, but failed. Then two donkeys were hitched to the cow in an effort to free her, but this also failed. All efforts were ultimately cut short when a crocodile pulled the cow and two donkeys into the water drowning them and he eventually had them for dinner.

Alec and Jan invited the manager of Nottingham Estates, Clive Ambler - Smith and his wife Jenny, as well as Steve Boshoff, Nottingham’s Maintenance Superintendent, and his wife Rita for dinner the last night we were in camp. Jim and I had a great time with them. They were great conversationalists. I have never met finer, better educated and more sociable people than those in Zimbabwe and the Republic of South Afiica. They are Eke cousins to Americans.

The Rhodesian War began in 1965 and ended in 1980. The nation declared its independence from the United Kingdom, just as America did during its early days. There were two communist factions, Robert Mugabe and his followers were backed by the Republic of China and Joshua Nkomo and his group were backed by the U. S. S. R. Both were vying for control of the country fighting the Rhodesians. It was not a white and black war. It was a Capitalistic versus Communistic War. There were more black soldiers than white troops fighting on the side of Rhodesia against the communists factions. The United States put much effort into getting the United Nations to institute sanctions against Rhodesia, resulting in the ultimate defeat of Rhodesian troops in their fight for independence. << TOP >>

Many Caucasian citizens in Zimbabwe are still exasperated with the United States because of their foreign policy during the trying times of those war years. There was a proliferation of American mercenary soldiers that had fought in Vietnam who brought drugs to Rhodesia while being paid to fight there. Their adverse influence has increased steadily over the years among the young Zimbabwe population. Robert Mugabe came into power as the president. The name of the country was changed from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. Mugabe is of Mashona ethnic origin. His first move after taking over the country was to hire North Korean Communist soldiers to kill 30,000 Matebele citizens who lived in the area around the City of Bulawayo. Economic conditions throughout the country are chaotic.

As of 1 September 2002, the official exchange rate was 40 Zimbabwe Dollars for one U. S. Dollar. The black market exchange rate was 750 to 850 Zimbabwe Dollars for one U. S. Dollar.
(NOTE: As of 1 February 2003, the black market exchange rate is 1850 Zimbabwe Dollars for one U. S. Dollar.) The Zimbabwe Dollar is worthless outside the country. The extent of the depreciation of the Zimbabwe Dollar was recently reported by several citizens who are professional hunters visiting the U. S. in January 2003. Similar stories abound such as the one about a bus line in Zimbabwe that refused to accept Zimbabwe Dollars from passengers. They preferred payment in the form of the Rand which is the medium of exchange of the Republic of South Africa.

Zimbabwe has serious problems. A high percentage of the people are HIV positive. Several of President Mugabe’s cabinet members have died from aids. Poverty is a big problem as it is in most third world countries. The unemployment rate is 60 percent. The average wage earner has the daily income equivalent to one U. S. Dollar. The Zimbabwe Federal government has ordered the white farmers off the land and intends to resettle it with agriculturally untrained black political favorites of recently reelected President Mugabe’s ruling party. The courts there advise the federal government that they cannot do this legally. In past years, Zimbabwe farm products fed most of the countries located in southern Africa. Generally speaking, it seems that the U. S. Press has resorted to sensationalism, as usual, in reporting the country’s current problems. Many contend that conditions are more dangerous in the Republic of South Africa than they are in Zimbabwe.

The U. S. State Department now advises U. S. citizens not to go to Zimbabwe. We did not see any potential danger signs involving tourists or safari hunters. There are 77,000 whites in Zimbabwe and 14 million blacks, but it seems from superficial observation that the whites still own the means of production. These numbers could lead to an explosive social situation against the white population. In Beit Bridge, Zimbabwe, the nearest city of any size, there is only 20 Caucasian families. There are over 200 agents in this city handling shipment of products destined for Zimbabwe as well as goods passing through the country with other destinations. Zimbabwe does not raise an appreciable amount of tobacco, however, they are the world’s largest exporting country of this product. There is currently a shortage of flour, hence there are lines for bread. The primary staple diet of the originally indigenous population is sadza, a corn meal finer ground than U. S. southern style grits. Bread is the second diet staple. We did not see any people with distended stomachs or any that even had a slight percentage of Caucasian blood. These people are jet black. This indicates to me that within around two hundred years most of the people in the U. S will probably be a darker race. Obesity among the natives seems to be non existent. Diesel fuel is currently in short supply. Our PH was given an affirmative answer when he phoned the truck stop in Beit Bridge prior to his visit asking if they could fill the tank of his Toyota Pick-up truck as well as one 55-gallon capacity barrel. We drove 1000 kilometers (621 miles) in the bush while hunting on safari for seven days.
The language spoken by the people originally indigenous to the local area around Beit Bridge is Venda. The members of this tribe have two parallel scars below the eye on each cheek. << TOP >>

Shona is spoken in Northern Zimbabwe. In the southern part of Zimbabwe reside the Ndebele people. They are descended from members of the Zulu tribe. Professional Hunter Alec Strauss communicates with the originally indigenous people using Chalapalapa, a language usually understood by members speaking several tribal languages. The people originally indigenous to the continent appear to be very kind, but some do not want the sun to ever shine, even for one second, on them. These people will never think like Europeans. They are referred to in their absence as Kaffirs, Uprights or Non-Reflectives.
I hunted seven days and had the following bag: 1 Impala, 1 Wildebeest, 1 Livingstone Eland bull, 1 Jackal, 1 Southern Greater Kudu, 11 warthogs, a total of 16 animals. I primarily used the .338 Magnum rifle. Jim hunted three days and collected 2 Impala, 1 Wildebeest, 1 Livingstone eland cow, 1- 5 1/2” Duiker, 1 Southern Greater Kudu and 4 Warthogs, with a total of 10 animals. Jim only used the .338 Magnum for his Kudu, using the 7mm Magnum for everything else. Our joint bag was made up of 26 animals with a yield we personally unofficially estimated at 3500 pounds.
A Rough Estimation of the Cost for two safari hunters:
Round trip air travel for two, $1400.00 each = $2800.00
Safari for Two Hunters, one for 7 days and one for 3 days = $8200.00
GRAND TOTAL $11,000.00

I have received many anti-hunting opinions from several friends, but have noticed they all wear leather shoes and are carnivorous. If these people were vegetarians others could see that they put into practice what they believe. Most of the adherents of this viewpoint have never been sufficiently inquisitive to actually find out how domesticated animals are dispatched so they can ultimately be served to them on a platter with all the fine social graces. They seem to believe the animals have actually been anaesthetized prior to receiving the coup de gras. During the initial butchering process in most countries domesticated animals are usually dispatched by the atrocious process of being knocked in the head with a four-pound sledge hammer, then they are hoisted on a monorail where their throats are cut, they then move on through the assembly line butchering process. This process is said to be justified because the carcases are for human consumption and this method is the cheapest and most efficient way of handling the job. In view of this crude condition, don’t you agree that hunting is a more honorable option? The game animal is fairly stalked and killed, suffering infinitely less than in the usual butchering process. A gentleman’s hunting code exists which was developed by chivalrous European royalty centuries ago and it is based on respect for the game animals. This code is the father of modem day game management techniques.

A hunter honoring this code would never participate in wholesale slaughter, nor would female species with young offspring be hunted. The term “hunting” is more accurate and descriptive than the use of the term “finding,” as more time is spent hunting than finding. Dedicated hunters usually find that association and related camaraderie with other hunters during the pursuit on the game trail more satisfying than actually making the kill. Nothing is killed that is not eaten by safari party and the local population. When meat was served during a meal there was no wild taste.

Dr. Doug Smith, a Dentist from Bessemer, Alabama, tweaked our interest in hunting with Professional Hunter Alec Strauss. He has been with Alec on nine safaris. He is Alec’s professional safari contact in the U. S. I had previously met Doug Smith only briefly. We were reintroduced on 17 March 2002, by our mutual friend, retired Circuit Court Judge John N. Bryan. Doug’s knowledge, experience and figures on the total cost of the safari were right on the money. Doug advised us that most first time safari hunters receive unfair treatment due to their inexperience and in failing to know exactly what to expect at what price. I talked with a fellow hunter in the Johannesburg air terminal, who is a hospital administrator in Fargo, North Dakota, who spent $9000.00 to hunt Cape Buffalo in Zimbabwe and one impala was the only animal seen during his safari. I would presume that he made a hasty decision after seeing an attractive advertisement in a Safari Club International publication. First hand reports from those who actually have used the services of a professional hunter are always preferred in making costly and important decisions. << TOP >>

After hunting only one day I was reminded of the first words in the text of the aforementioned book by James Mellon, stating, “The first time I came to the continent of Africa, I stayed ten years.” Once you have visited Africa you will not want to leave and you will want to return again and again. Its charm casts a spell on you that will never quite let go. When you return home, all you will want to do is find somebody who will listen to you talk about Africa. You will have the bug and you will have it bad. You will plan to go back just as soon as you can afford it. There is an old Arab proverb about the lure of the Continent of Africa on first time visitors: “The European upon whom has once shone the tropical sun of Africa, like the moth that flies to the candle, ever feels drawn again to the land of the palms.”

You will be disgusted with yourself because you waited until you were sixty-eight years old to make the trip where you had more fun than on any other vacation in your lifetime. You could easily have arranged the trip and handled the expense when you were a young man. Then you could have made the trip more frequently and stayed longer. Your money would have been better spent during your youthful years because one does not always have to hunt to enjoy it. You can look back with delight years later on the fun you had and it will all come back to you as though it happened only yesterday. You have probably always liked hunting, camping and outdoor life and have always been dissatisfied with most of the usual dull chit chat of the group about politics, their sedentary viewing of spectator sports and most other conversational topics that many apparently find to be entertaining and of great interest.

Africa has the world’s largest supply of big game. It is an enjoyable continent for a hunter to visit frequently, but all the forty or so countries there are too politically unstable to ever consider living there on a long term basis. Human life is valued more elsewhere.
You can readily see from this brief sketch that this was the trip of a lifetime!
James Eugene Lightsey, Jr. (205) 515-7901 << TOP >>