Trial of Businessmen Mpofu and Chimombe Postponed Again as Chimombe Falls Ill

Mpofu and Chimombe were arrested in June 2024 and have been in custody since then. They are facing fraud charges related to a government goat supply tender worth US$87.7 million.

In September 2021, their company, Black Deck Private Limited, won a tender from the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture to supply 632,001 goats under a national livestock program. The scheme required beneficiaries to pass on the animals to other needy households after reproduction.

However, prosecutors allege that Black Deck Livestock and Poultry Farming, an unregistered company, was the one that signed the deal with the government. Mpofu signed as the company’s representative, while Chimombe acted as a witness.

Investigations revealed several irregularities in the company’s documents:

• No valid tax clearance from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority for 2021.
• A QR code on their National Social Security certificate belonged to another company, Skywalk Investments.

Despite these issues, the government paid 30% of the contract amount (ZWL 1.6 billion, equivalent to US$7.7 million) in two installments—April 21 and June 29, 2022.

When the Ministry of Lands followed up, Black Deck claimed to have 32,500 goats ready for distribution. However, a government verification process found only 3,713 goats at various sites.

Realizing the contract was fraudulent, the ministry canceled it on August 29, 2022.

To date, only 4,208 goats worth US$331,445.25 have been delivered. The government says it has suffered a loss of US$7.38 million due to the scam.

The trial, which was supposed to start last year, is now scheduled to begin on March 3, 2025—unless further delays arise.