Ndambo turns farm into pleasure resort

An Emu at Pazuri

Suspended Zambia National Farmers Union executive director Ndambo Ndambo has transformed part of his farm in Chongwe into a pleasure resort.

Named Pazuri, the sanctuary has been opened to the public for game viewing, fishing, golfing, swimming and private partying.

A check at the breathtaking retreat center found several Zambians and residents of foreign origin enjoying quality time in the vicinity of wildlife.

“We have close to 20 Zebras, about 16 Ostriches and we also have Emus which are the second largest birds in the world after the Ostrich. Over there we have over 20 Waterbucks, we also have Impalas, Kudus and several other wildlife species,” said Gift, a guide at the resort.

Some Ostriches and Emus at Pazuri

“We charge K100 gate fee per adult and K50 for children. Once you are here, all the activities are free including game viewing. You can also bring your own food and drinks. The only other charge is when you want to play golf, and that’s about K100 per person.”

Last year, donors cut funding to ZNFU and demanded a refund of all the money reported to have been stolen or misapplied in an EMM Corporate Partners audit report, which was upheld by KPMG.

According to the audit report, most of the fraudulent activities were hinged on Ndambo who is currently in court facing money-laundering charges.

But a source close to the investigation has revealed that there were corporate powers that influenced Ndambo’s removal from ZNFU.

Pazuri entrance

“This Ndambo story has more than meets the eye. We are finding that if Ndambo will be guilty of these money-laundering charges, then the whole ZNFU, including the board will have to be answerable because he was not doing those transactions alone. Doesn’t it surprise you that Ndambo was arrested on money laundering charges but his bank accounts have not been frozen? Haven’t you seen that the Zambia Wildlife Authority has not gone to grab those animals from his farm?” wondered the source.

“You guys may have to dig deeper at ZNFU and you may find that there are a lot of individuals and corporate institutions who may be interested in closing that thing. The thing is if ZNFU is closed down, there will be a lot of people who will make money, that building alone is worth more that the debt they are owing. So many people will make money from ZNFU assets once it is liquidated.