A well-known safari operator based in Bulawayo is facing serious legal trouble after being charged with 12 counts of stock theft involving more than 500 head of cattle, reportedly valued at close to US$472,000.
Fifty-seven-year-old Timothy John Schultz, a resident of Khumalo suburb, appeared before the Gwanda Magistrates’ Court this week. He is accused of stealing livestock from Maphaneni Ranch in Kezi over an eight-month span.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the alleged thefts occurred between August 2024 and April 2025. Prosecutors claim Schultz deceived a ranch employee by pretending he had been authorized by the cattle owner, Fbris Luka Ignatius, to sell the animals in order to pay staff wages.
“The accused sold the cattle to a slaughterhouse, set the selling prices himself, and allegedly pocketed the money,” said the NPAZ in a statement.
None of the stolen cattle have reportedly been recovered. Authorities say Schultz carried out the sales gradually and strategically before he was eventually apprehended.
He has been denied bail and remains in custody, with his next court appearance scheduled for August 14, 2025.
Should he be found guilty, Schultz could face a substantial prison sentence under Zimbabwe’s tough laws against livestock theft.
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