Crimes and Courts Reporter
In a dramatic session at the High Court, incarcerated business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe revealed that unnamed government officials received the “bulk of the money” from Wicknell Chivayo, who was awarded a US$40 million tender for supplying election materials.
The duo claims they are being persecuted for leaking audios that exposed corruption related to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) tender.
Mpofu and Chimombe, who were arrested in June and charged with defrauding the government in the Presidential Goat Scheme, expressed their dissatisfaction over the distribution of funds from the tender for ballot papers for the 2023 harmonised elections. They stated that Chivayo informed them they would not receive a fair share because he had to “pay his people in government.”
While applying for their case to be referred to the Constitutional Court, the two told High Court judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda that they were collaborating with Chivayo and a South African company, Ren-Form CC. They mentioned being in China when their audio recordings went viral, leading to their summons by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
Chimombe noted that ZACC chairperson Michael Reza had publicly stated that Chivayo was also being sought for interviews, yet he had not been summoned. The duo expressed their surprise when they were charged with fraud related to the Goat Scheme instead of being questioned about the ZEC tender.
“We thought we would discuss the ZEC issue but we were charged over the issue of goats. We have never been interviewed about the ZEC issue, and that is why I am saying there is selective prosecution,” Chimombe stated.
Mpofu corroborated this, revealing that during a meeting with Chivayo regarding payment modalities, he was told that the money would not be shared equally, with the majority going to government officials.
“When we had a meeting with Chivayo on the payment modalities, he told us that the money was not going to be shared equally; he said the bulk of the money was supposed to go to his people in government,” Mpofu explained.
He also recounted questioning the investigating officer, Henry Chapwanya, about the ZEC issue, only to be told that it was not under his purview. The two accused Reza of interfering with their case, which they believe led to their denial of bail despite initial consent.
“The coincidence does not sit well with me. He came and our bail was denied,” Mpofu remarked, adding that Reza had met with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to oppose their bail.
The case continues to unfold, with witness Mabhaudhi representing the State asserting that the prosecutor general has the authority to alter bail considerations.
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