Top Civil Servant Blames Chimombe, Mpofu For Collapse Of Presidential Goat Scheme
Obert Jiri, the Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, has said the government had to terminate the presidential goat scheme after Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu delivered only 6,978 goats out of the promised 86,000, for which payment had already been made.
During his appearance before the parliamentary portfolio committee on Public Accounts on Monday, Jiri explained that the programme stalled due to the failure to deliver the remaining goats. He said:
The goats that were delivered to date, 6,978. The payment that was made was for the delivery of 86,000 goats.
That was the potential that could have been delivered. So out of 86,000, only 6,978 were delivered.
So, of course, the major bone of contention was this non-delivery, but before that, it was the price for goods, which we tried to negotiate within the confines of the contract to say that goods must go to this, and I think we had agreed to a decent price.
But even when we had agreed, the delivery could not happen.
Chimombe and Mpofu have been languishing in remand prison since June this year facing fraud charges in connection with the goats contract.
Prosecutors say Chimombe and Mpofu, who are facing fraud charges, forged a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) tax clearance certificate, and a National Social Security Authority (NSSA) compliance certificate in the name of Blackdeck Private Limited.
Blackdeck is the company that was awarded the tender by the Ministry of Lands to supply goats under the presidential goat pass-on scheme.
The State is alleging that Blackdeck misrepresented that it was in full compliance with ZIMRA and NSSA requirements, yet investigations indicated the QR code and the reference on NSSA compliance were issued to a totally different company.
It is being further alleged that Blackdeck was deregistered from the NSSA system in January 2016.
Blackdeck was not issued with a ZIMRA tax clearance for 2021 and the QR code on the forged tax clearance belonged to a different company.
Prosecutors further alleged that in 2021, the government introduced the presidential goat pass-on scheme to alleviate poverty among the less privileged households across the country. Said Prosecutor Anesu Chirenje:
On September 3, 2021, the Ministry of Lands flighted a tender for the supply and delivery of goats for the presidential goat pass-on scheme with a closing date of September 17, 2021.
On November 16, 2021, the Ministry of Lands entered into a contract agreement with Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming for the supply and delivery of 632,001 goats for the presidential goat pass-on scheme valued at US$87,757,168.
The ministry, believing that what the accused persons had presented to them was true, went on and transferred ZWL$901,294,200 and ZWL$698,705,800 on 21 April 2022 and 29 June 2022 respectively summing up to ZWL$1.6 billion which was equivalent to US$7,712,197.10 into Blackdeck Private Limited’s bank account number towards the purchasing of the said goats.
It is further alleged that Mpofu and Chimombe delayed the supply of the goats and they only managed to deliver a total of 4,208 goats valued at US$331,445.25 from the US$7,712,197.10 paid by the ministry and went on to convert the US$7,380,751.85 for their personal use.
Critics argue that Chimombe and Mpofu are being punished for revealing alleged corruption involving high-ranking State officials in the procurement of electoral materials for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) ahead of the August 2023 general elections.
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