Moses Mpofu, a local businessman who operates Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming, and Mike Chimombe, one of his five agents involved in the US$88 million Presidential Goat Scheme, are being prosecuted at Harare’s magistrate court under the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act.

According to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc), Mpofu and his associates were paid US$40 million for supplying more than 6,000 goats over five years. However, they did not fulfill the entire order before the contract was terminated. In contrast, Mpofu’s company asserts that only US$4 million (RTGS1.6 billion) was received, not the US$40 million figure cited in the media.

Mpofu also clarified that Chimombe was not a principal in the goat deal, as he neither holds shares nor serves as a director in the company. Instead, Chimombe was one of five agents contracted to supply the goats.

These revelations emerged following Mpofu and Chimombe’s recent appearance before Zacc in connection with the alleged US$40 million tender scandal involving the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

In other news – Music labels file lawsuits against AI startups for copyright infringement

Major music labels, including Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Records, Capitol Records, and others, have filed lawsuits against AI music generation services Suno and Udio. The labels allege that these startups have violated copyrights by using the works of top artists to train their generative AI systems without authorization.

The lawsuits, filed in federal courts in Boston and New York on Monday, seek damages that could amount to $150,000 per song or a share of the companies’ profits. Read More