Harare businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu have been scheduled for trial from October 1 to 4 at the High Court. They are facing allegations of fraud amounting to $7.7 million related to the Presidential Goat Scheme.
Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje stated that the prosecution has substantial evidence for the trial. This evidence includes a tax clearance certificate, tender document evaluations from the Ministry of Lands, bank statements from CABS, and minutes from a meeting with Blackdeck, among other documents.
The fraud charges stem from a 2021 initiative by the government under its Rural Development Agenda, which aimed to alleviate poverty by distributing special goat breeds to less privileged households and village heads. The plan was to procure over 500,000 goats for this scheme.
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The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Development was tasked with implementing the program and issued a tender for the supply and delivery of the goats. Four companies—Kotrum Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming, Millytake Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd, and Zvikomborero Farms (Pvt) Ltd—submitted bids for the tender.
The allegations suggest that Chimombe and Mpofu were involved in the tender process knowing that Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming lacked the necessary registration, ZIMRA Tax Clearance certificate, and National Social Security Authority compliance certificate required for eligibility.
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