HARARE, Zimbabwe — In a series of unfolding scandals, businessman Moses Mpofu and Economic Empowerment Group (EEG) president Mike Chimombe find themselves under intense scrutiny for their involvement in two multi-million dollar controversies.
The pair is being investigated for allegedly aiding and abetting money laundering in a US$40 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) tender. This scandal also implicates legislator Pedzisayi ‘Scott’ Sakupwanya’s Better Brands Security and tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo. Additionally, Mpofu and Chimombe are embroiled in a botched US$87 million Presidential Goat Scheme.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) is currently probing Mpofu and Chimombe for potential violations of section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, chapter 9:23, relating to theft of trust property, and section 8(2) of the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act.
According to leaked internal communications from ZACC, investigations are focused on how the duo allegedly defrauded the government in a murky contract where they received funds to supply goats for a pass-on scheme, which never materialized.
“Investigations revealed that on November 16, 2021, the Government of Zimbabwe, represented by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, entered into a contract with Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming, represented by Moses Mpofu. The contract, valued at US$87,757,168, was for the supply and delivery of 632,001 goats over five years,” ZACC findings stated.
The investigation team, deployed on May 23, 2024, is examining cases of trust property theft and money laundering following reports that the Zanu PF-linked dealers only supplied a fraction of the promised goats and misappropriated the funds, spending lavishly on houses and cars.
ZACC has uncovered that Blackdeck Livestock Farming (Private) Limited, the company used to receive payments from the Ministry, was locally registered as Blackdeck (Pvt) Ltd, with directors Mpofu and Phineas Hazvineyi Kabisira.
During their investigation, ZACC obtained a warrant to search and seize documents, including a CABS bank statement for Blackdeck’s account, to trace the flow of funds. Mpofu and Chimombe reportedly received an advance payment of US$40 million from the Treasury to supply goats for underprivileged households. However, they allegedly diverted the funds for personal use, purchasing luxurious homes and vehicles.
The probe team has initiated requests to various entities, including the Treasury, Agriculture Ministry, and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, to trace the cash flow and reconcile the disbursed funds.
Further investigations revealed that on April 21, 2022, and June 29, 2022, the Agriculture Ministry transferred ZWL$901,294,200 and ZWL$698,705,800, respectively, into Blackdeck’s CABS account, totaling ZWL$1.6 billion or approximately US$7,712,197 at the interbank rate.
The investigations are ongoing, and the authorities are working to bring clarity to the misuse of public funds and hold those responsible accountable.
