Gono Absolves Chamisa From The US$200m Farm Mechanization Scandal

Former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor, Gideon Gono, said MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa was not among people who benefited from the controversial Farm Mechanisation Programme, which largely benefitted ZANU PF-aligned people between 2007 and 2008.

Gono said this while speaking during a live program on Zimpapers Television Network (ZTN) on Thursday. He mentioned several MDC officials who benefitted from the scheme in response to claims that Alex Magaisa, a Kent University lecturer, had conveniently omitted some names when he listed the beneficiaries in his Big Saturday Read last week. Said Gono:

Very senior members from MDC were beneficiaries of the programme in question. It is unfortunate that Alex’s list omits some names of people from the party that he was advising at the time.

I’m not here to spell out all the names of beneficiaries neither am I aware of Chamisa benefiting from the program, but I can surely confirm that Welshman Ncube benefited.

In 2019, Ncube, who is the MDC Alliance co-vice president, donated 10 heifers to feed delegates at the MDC congress which was held in the Midlands capital, Gweru.

Ncube is said to be a successful farmer and has a thriving cattle ranching venture in Lower Gweru