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Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
SOUTH African businessman, Frederick Lutzkie, was last Thursday deported from Zimbabwe soon after touching down at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport in Bulawayo.
Lutzkie, 53, made headlines last year following his involvement in a May 4 helicopter crash at Doddieburn Ranch in West Nicholson that raised a lot of eyebrows after he buried the wreckage of the chopper.
He was subsequently arrested and convicted on his own plea of guilty to 14 counts of contravening sections of the Civil Aviation Act and the Immigration Act when he appeared before Harare magistrate Vakayi Chikwekwe.
Lutzkie was sentenced to seven years in jail.
The High Court in May quashed the prison term on appeal and ordered him to pay $400 for each of the 14 counts on which he was convicted.
In total, Lutzkie paid $5,600 for all his offences which included flying without permission from the Civil Aviation of Zimbabwe and fraudulently acquiring an entry and exit stamp at Beitbridge border post.
Last Thursday, the controversial businessman was reportedly coming to Bulawayo to meet his attorney, Vonani Majoko, to discuss the way forward after he won a legal battle against Gwanda Rural District Council.
Assistant Regional Immigration Officer, Francis Mabika, confirmed the incident yesterday but declined to give further details.
In a telephone interview from his South Africa base, Lutzkie said he was never given reasons for his deportation.
He, however, alleged that a senior government official was using his position to frustrate him and grab his ranch near West Nicholson.
“No reason was given to me for the deportation. I was just told to go back to South Africa as I wasn’t welcome in Zimbabwe. I’m surprised because I’ve travelled to Zimbabwe nine times after I was arrested and released following an unfair sentence.
“What I know is that there is a senior government official who wants to take over my farm. I’m certain that he called the immigration officials and instructed them to deport me,” said Lutzkie.
He said he would not allow people to manipulate him after he invested $2,3 million in a joint safari business venture.
“I’ve been manipulated and my assets have been stolen but I’m grateful that there is still rule of law in Zimbabwe. An arbitration ruling was awarded in my favour and I was coming to discuss the way forward with my lawyer.
“President Mugabe and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa are good leaders but there are corrupt elements in the government who abuse their offices,” said Lutzkie.
Majoko said he was trying to find out why his client was denied entry into the country.
“I don’t know the reasons why he was deported. He called me while at the airport and told me that he had been deported but he wasn’t told why.
“I’ve been representing him since last year and he’s been coming into the country without any problem. He was coming to see me over the case between him and Gwanda RDC.
“The case saw us go to arbitration and the arbitral award was delivered on July 22 in his favour,” said Majoko.
Lutzkie was embroiled in a legal battle with Gwanda RDC and his three former business associates, Lourens Marthinus Botha, his son Lourens Junior and a local businesswoman, Sithembinkosi Ncube, over the ownership of shares of a safari company in 2007.
According to the arbitrator, Promise Ncube of Coghlan and Welsh, Botha and his son in their capacity as shareholders in Doddieburn Holdings and Crocoburn (Pvt) Ltd, fraudulently misrepresented that Doddieburn had entered into a joint venture agreement with Gwanda RDC.
He said Gwanda RDC aided the confusion and the problems that were bedevilling the parties involved in the matter. Ncube said the RDC shall bear its own costs.
He said Botha and Lutzkie were entitled to compensation by Gwanda RDC.
In terms of the agreement, Shashe-Zambezi was to construct all project infrastructure as well as sourcing stock.
However, in June 2013, the shareholders in Shashe-Zambezi Safaris and Crocoburn (Pvt) Ltd, being the Bothas and Ncube, sold their rights, title, interests and shares in the joint venture agreement with Gwanda RDC to Buffels Vallei 375.
Gwanda RDC was notified of the development and it was stated that during a meeting held at Doddieburn on June 22, 2013, the Bothas and Ncube were paid all sums owing to them and it was agreed that they would resign their directorship of the companies in which they had sold shares.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter