Zimbabwe Court Jails Businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu for $87 Million Goat‑Scheme Fraud
HARARE – High Court Justice Pisirayi Kwenda on Monday handed down heavy prison terms to business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe for defrauding the state of more than US$7 million in the Presidential Goat Scheme. Mpofu received a 22‑year sentence, of which seven years were conditionally suspended, leaving him with an effective 15 years behind bars. Chimombe was sentenced to 17 years, five of which were suspended, resulting in a 12‑year term.
By Tinotenda Samukange
The court found the duo guilty of using a fictitious company, Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming, to secure a US$87 million tender to supply 632 001 goats to vulnerable communities. Investigations revealed that the company submitted forged tax clearance and NSSA compliance certificates; a QR‑code check later exposed the fraud. Only 4 208 goats, valued at US$331 445, were delivered, leaving the government out of pocket by US$7.38 million.
Justice Kwenda described the offence as “organised crime” and “a serious breach of trust,” noting that the fraud targeted the nation’s poorest and that none of the money had been recovered. He set a presumptive 20‑year starting point but reduced the terms after considering mitigation, including Mpofu’s late apology and Chimombe’s offer to repay US$964 000 by February 2026.
Prosecutor Whisper Mabhaudhi had sought a 35‑year term, arguing that the scheme “stole from the poorest of the poor” and that leniency would erode public confidence in the justice system. Defence lawyers, led by Professor Lovemore Madhuku, argued for leniency on health and family grounds and have filed notices of appeal to the Supreme Court.
Both men are expected to begin serving their effective sentences immediately while their appeals are processed. The case has drawn nationwide attention, highlighting weaknesses in government procurement oversight and the impact of large‑scale fraud on social welfare programmes.
