The prosecution is seeking a 35-year prison sentence for businessmen Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, who were recently convicted of fraud relating to the high-profile Presidential Goat Scheme, a flagship Government livestock pass-on programme intended to benefit vulnerable rural households. Their sentencing is expected to be handed down on Monday, bringing an end to a case that has gripped the public and exposed glaring weaknesses in procurement oversight within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Development.
Mpofu and Chimombe were found guilty of using falsified documents to secure a lucrative contract to supply 632 001 goats under a programme valued at US$87 757 16. Although the tender had initially been awarded to Blackdeck Private Limited, the contract was ultimately signed with a completely different entity — Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming — which was neither registered nor compliant with legal requirements. The swap of companies raised immediate red flags during the subsequent investigation, prompting authorities to examine the documentation used to obtain the tender.
The probe revealed a series of irregularities in the paperwork submitted. One of the most glaring issues was the absence of a valid 2021 tax clearance certificate for Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming. Further scrutiny showed that the QR code on the NSSA compliance certificate submitted as part of the tender documents did not relate to the company at all, but instead corresponded to an unrelated business, Skywalk Investments. Prosecutors argued that these acts were not minor administrative oversights but deliberate attempts to deceive Government officials and win a tender worth millions.
During the sentencing submissions, Prosecutor Whisper Mabhaudi urged the court to impose a punishment exceeding the standard 20-year maximum ordinarily associated with the offence. He insisted that the magnitude of the fraud, the level of deception involved, and the potential prejudice to the nation justified a severe penalty. Mabhaudi argued that such crimes erode public trust and drain the country’s resources, warranting a clear message that corruption will not be tolerated.
State Wants 35-Year Imprisonment for Chimombe and Mpofu
“This offence shocks the conscience of man,” Mabhaudi told the court. “The circumstances demand the maximum penalty under the law. The court must send a clear message to deter others and restore hope that those draining this nation’s economy will face justice.”
The defence, however, appealed for leniency, offering sharply contrasting views on the culpability of the two men. Representing Mpofu, advocate John Koto argued that using fraudulent documents should not be treated in the same way as actual financial loss arising from contract execution. He stated that while the conduct was improper, it should not attract such an extreme penalty, especially in the absence of a documented monetary prejudice suffered by the State.
Chimombe’s lawyer, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, also pushed back against the prosecution’s request for a heavy sentence. He acknowledged that the offence was serious but argued that his client’s involvement was significantly less substantial than Mpofu’s. Madhuku insisted that Chimombe should not be punished to the same degree as his co-accused, describing him as a minor participant in the overall scheme.
Madhuku went further, criticising the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Development for its role in the matter. He questioned how a committee, chaired by legally trained officials, could have failed to detect discrepancies that were later uncovered with relative ease.
“The negligence of State officials is glaring,” Madhuku said. “How could a committee led by a lawyer fail to uncover the fraud? The entire ministry evaluated nothing. This failure must be addressed.”
He also noted that no official report detailing actual financial prejudice to the State had been produced, further undermining the prosecution’s argument for a severe penalty based on assumed loss.
In response, Mabhaudi argued that the real victims of the scheme were not Government departments but the vulnerable communities who were meant to receive goats under the pass-on programme. He emphasised that the initiative was designed to benefit widows, orphans, elderly people, persons with disabilities, and chronically ill individuals selected through a public service database. Their welfare, he said, was compromised by the fraudulent conduct.
Following the awarding of the tender, the ministry disbursed ZWL1.6 billion in two tranches in 2022, then equivalent to US$7 712 197. Prosecutors maintain that these funds should have resulted in the distribution of goats to beneficiaries across the country, a process that was never fully realised.
The court will deliver its final ruling when Mpofu and Chimombe return for sentencing, bringing closure to a case that has renewed calls for stronger transparency and accountability mechanisms in public procurement.
Source- Byo24
