HARARE — Business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe have been jailed after being found guilty of defrauding the government of US$7.3 million in a failed tender to supply goats under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Presidential Goats Scheme.
The two businessmen received substantial advance payments but failed to deliver the livestock, instead diverting state funds for personal use while claiming procurement difficulties.
Mpofu was handed a 22-year sentence, with three years suspended on condition of good behaviour. Of the remaining term, the court will suspend a further portion once he repays an unspecified amount, leaving him to serve an effective 15 years in prison. Chimombe received a 17-year sentence, with three years suspended and an additional two years set aside once he repays US$964,024, resulting in an effective 12-year jail term.
The judge condemned their actions as a deliberate betrayal of public trust, stressing that their fraud undermined a national empowerment initiative intended to uplift rural communities. The scandal has intensified calls for greater transparency in government procurement and stricter oversight of presidential schemes, many of which have faced allegations of mismanagement.
Public debate continues to grow, with civil society groups urging wider audits, while officials suggest further arrests may follow as investigations deepen.
