HARARE — Zimbabwe’s anti-corruption watchdog has closed its inquiry into alleged fraud in the procurement of election materials for the 2023 polls, an official said on Wednesday.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) said it found no evidence linking businessman Wicknell Chivayo or the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to wrongdoing in the award of contracts worth over $100 million to South African company Ren-Form CC, which were issued without an open tender.
It is an unsatisfactory conclusion for transparency advocates who had flagged the election procurement as emblematic of opaque state contracts under President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The probe was triggered after two of Chivayo’s former associates, Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, alleged improper dealings involving senior ZEC and government officials. The two men, claiming to have been partners with Chivayo and Ren-Form CC before they were elbowed out, alleged a conspiracy to inflate invoices.
ZEC denied ever conducting business with Chivayo, Mpofu or Chimombe. Chivayo later dismissed the pair as “extortionists.”
ZACC chair Michael Reza, the country’s former chief prosecutor, said investigators have hit a dead end.
“So we went to ZEC and asked for the contracts,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of an event to mark International Anti-Corruption Day in Harare. “The answer was that they don’t know these people… they have not done any business with them.
“We went to Chivayo, and he said the same. A contract is what links parties to a transaction – and there is no such document.
“Chimombe and Mpofu have made allegations, but they have not supplied us with any information, which would link Chivayo to the commission of the alleged fraud at ZEC, so that is where we are. We have nothing to go by as things stand.”
Mpofu and Chimombe were last week jailed for a combined 39 years in an unrelated case involving forged documents used to secure an US$87 million contract to supply goats to the agriculture ministry. They blamed their legal troubles on Chivayo.
Chivayo, who flies in a private jet and owns at least four Rolls Royces, welcomed ZACC’s decision to end its investigation of him.
“This development brings immense relief and finally vindicates me after a long period of public speculation,” he said, adding that the allegations had caused “irreparable” reputational harm and the loss of business opportunities.
“For nearly two years, I endured reputational damage arising from allegations which the ZACC chairperson has now rightly confirmed to be baseless, unsubstantiated and devoid of any factual basis.
“Regrettably, the allegations inflicted severe and irreparable consequences on my personal affairs, including substantial loss of business opportunities and adverse risk assessments by certain financial institutions such as banks,” he said.
The Intratrek Zimbabwe boss said he “anticipates that the confirmation by ZACC will finally restore confidence in my personal and business standing” adding that he hoped “ZACC’s clarification will allow my businesses to re-engage confidently with both local and global partners without the burden of speculation.”
ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba previously stated that their election procurement was above board, insisting that ZEC had “no contract nor did it procure any election material from or through individuals being mentioned in the reports.”
She added: “The commission has checked with the supplier (Ren-Form CC) who categorically stated in writing that they did not have any contract with the same individuals for the supply of election materials during the 2023 elections. Furthermore, there were no third parties between the commission and all election material suppliers.
“Any statements suggesting a contractual link between ZEC and these individuals for the supply of the election materials are inaccurate, misleading and mischievous and therefore should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve.”
A leaked document by South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre showed millions of rand flowed from Ren-Form CC to companies linked with Chivayo after payments from ZEC.
Ren-Form has denied wrong-doing. In a statement to The Sentry, it said Chivayo was “one of our agents over there, so there’s nothing wrong with that.” – ZimLive
