“Since Wednesday of January 27, our rangers reported hearing shots being fired in the bush, so we decided to do a reconnaissance mission with Roger flying the chopper,” said Bester who is Ranch Manager at Maswa Game Reserve.
Bester said while combing the bush to see any suspicious movements on the ground, they spotted an elephant carcass covered in shrubs and tree branches.
“Roger lowered the chopper so that we could take a closer look at the carcass and that’s when a bullet was fired which pierced through the plane into Roger’s right leg, arm and scratched the forehead close to his right eye,” Bester said emotionally holding back his tears.
The three passenger mini chopper then went tumbling to the ground because Roger was badly hurt and could no longer control it with his bleeding right leg, arm and forehead. It was raining heavily when the chopper went down at around 7pm, Bester was lucky to survive but sustained injuries to his back, legs and arms.
“Roger bled a lot and by the time emergency teams arrived at the scene, he was very weak,” the 44 year old father of three pointed out. An emergency plane of Doctors Without Borders from Arusha rescued the duo during the wee hours of Saturday, January 30, unfortunately, the 37 year old British pilot, a darling of conservation was pronounced dead a few hours later.
His death, once again, attracted global attention and exposed the complex criminal cartel of the country’s poaching cartel which for many years has been associated with elite business people, politicians and bureaucrats serving the highest public office and managing big corporation boardrooms.
“It’s a sophisticated cartel and some of the elite behind it are those who have been calling me names, we will deal with them thoroughly, the Fifth Phase government under President Magufuli will not leave any stone unturned in this battle,” said a no nonsense Tourism and Natural Resources Minister, Professor Jumanne Maghembe.
Prof Maghembe who rushed to the scene of the killing in Meatu district of Simiyu region, ordered state organs to identify and book all culprits of the heinous crime which not only ended a hardworking conservation committed Briton in Gower, but also continued to pose a danger to the country’s jumbos whose numbers have plummeted by 60 percent since 2009.
“We will not allow these crooks to prevail, no matter their social status, this government is going to deal with them thoroughly,” Prof Maghembe whose appointment by President Magufuli last December attracted a lot of criticism from the public, opposition politicians and the academia who argued that his stint at the same ministry during former President Jakaya Kikwete’s administration was characterised by below average performance.
True to his words, Prof Maghembe boosted by President Magufuli’s strong backing, swung into action bringing the country’s top brass from Tanzania Police Force, Tanzania National Parks Authority, FCF and its partner company, Mwiba Holdings to the scene of the accident.
A prompt 24 hours combing of villages neighbouring Maswa Game Reserve, netted a dozen or so suspects of which nine were charged after thorough interrogations at Mwiba Holdings camp within the conservation area.
The nine suspects who included a former police officer turned intelligence officer with Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), 49 year old Iddi Mashaka and a farmer, 28 year old Ngile Ngonga. The due alongside two others were found guilty of possessing firearms and various government trophies seized by security agents during the operation.
In all, nine people have been charged separately for murder which could see convicts hang by the gallows or spend the whole of their lives in jail.
The trial by a Dar es Salaam court last February indicated that the country’s justice system whose notoriety in delaying such cases has baffled many minds in the past, is slowly adapting to Magufulification literally meaning delivery of services promptly bribes free.
But as the trial of the nine suspects enters a crucial murder proceedings stage at High Court of Tanzania, the almighty poaching cartel is sponsoring a rebellion against Mwiba Holdings, Friedkin Fund and its other affiliate companies, Tanzania Game Tracking Safaris.
People in Makao village which has an agreement with Mwiba Holdings to invest and operate photography and game tracking tourism in Maswa Game Reserve, Wildlife Management Area and Mwiba Ranch, are being mobilised by village and district officials to sever ties with the company alleging that its guards have been used in gross violation of human rights.
“There have been allegations that our game scouts and rangers have been arresting and torturing people from Mwiba camp which is not true because the place was temporarily given to a police taskforce investigating the crime,” said Michel Allard, a Director with Mwiba Holdings.
Allard said Mwiba’s guards were part of the security detail which assisted state organs to arrest the culprits but did not in any way involve themselves with interrogations and detentions.
Allard’s observation is backed by Meatu District Commissioner, Erasto Sima who noted that villagers were confused because the criminal investigations were conducted by plain clothes policemen. “Normally, villagers know Mwiba guards and the fact that those who were detained were taken to Mwiba camp, the confusion was expected,” Sima said calling on the two parties to iron out their differences through negotiations.
Mwiba holdings pays 1.2bn/- in taxes, royalty and rent annually to Meatu district and nine neighbouring villages with which the company has signed an agreement to manage the game reserve, wildlife management area and ranch.
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