By PERPETUAL SICHIKWENKWE –

A BIDDER in the 2012 hunting concessions advertised by the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has told the Tribunal constituted to probe Tourism Minister Sylvia Masebo’s alleged abuse of authority that his bid was disqualified because he did not sign the cover of the bidding document.
Gavin Andrew Robinson, a commercial pilot and part-time hunter, said he felt unfairly treated after learning through the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) that his bid did not succeed because it had no signature on its cover.
Mr Robinson said he was disappointed because there was no such requirement in clause eight of the bidding document that required a bidder to append a signature on the cover.
He said the other reason he was told for his bid not having succeeded was that he did not include a two per cent manager’s cheque when in fact he had enclosed it in the bid document he submitted to ZAWA.
Mr Robinson said he had actually written his name on the back of the same cheque.
He told the Roydah-Kaoma lead Tribunal that he was initially surprised when he heard that Ms Masebo had cancelled the 19 hunting concessions, but later fully supported the minister’s decision after learning of some of the discrepancies in the process.
Mr Robinson said he felt unfairly treated given the two reasons for his bid not succeeding because as far as he was concerned, he had met all the bidding requirements.
James Chungu, a conservationist, told Ms Justice Kaoma, who sat with two members, Livingstone High Court judge-in-charge Ernest Mukulamutiyo and Lusaka High Court judge Chalwe Mchenga, that Ms Masebo’s decision to cancel the hunting concessions was ‘excellent’.
He said he was happy to learn of the news because safari outfitters were destructive to the wildlife and were depleting animals.
He also told the Tribunal that he attended the ZAWA meeting at Sandy’s Creation under protest but he later left after learning that there would be no hunting of the ‘big five’ namely, lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo.
Earlier, a ZAWA extension officer based in Mfuwe narrated how he was instructed by his boss not to alert chiefs and Community Resource Boards (CRBs) about the tendering process which was to take place in the first week of December.
Josias Zulu said then acting ZAWA Game Management Area (GMA) manager Andrew Phiri phoned him to inform him that the tendering process would take place in December 2012, but that he should not disclose to the chiefs and CRBs chairpersons.
Mr Zulu said that days later, Chief Jumbe and Chief Chikwa called him to find out about the information they had heard that the tendering process was ongoing, but he denied knowing anything as per instruction from his boss.
Hearing continues.