Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, two controversial businessmen, have been ordered to remain in custody pending a decision on their bail after appearing before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa. The court agreed to postpone proceedings until Thursday to allow investigating officers to present additional evidence.

Chimombe, aged 43, and Mpofu, aged 49, face accusations of fraud linked to an alleged scheme involving the supply of goats valued at USD 88 million under the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme. Despite arguments from their legal representatives highlighting their clients’ cooperation by attending court proceedings voluntarily, the State, represented by Anesu Chirenje, opposed bail. The opposition was based on recent interactions between the accused and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

The charges against them include forging a ZIMRA Tax Clearance certificate and an NSSA compliance certificate for Mpofu’s company, Blackdeck Private Limited. These documents were allegedly submitted in a bid to the Ministry of Lands, misrepresenting compliance statuses to secure a lucrative government contract.

According to the State, the Ministry of Lands disbursed ZWL 1.6 billion (about USD 7,712,197) to Blackdeck Private Limited for the purported supply of goats. However, subsequent investigations uncovered several irregularities, such as the company being deregistered from NSSA and lacking a valid ZIMRA certificate. Despite claims of mobilizing 32,500 goats, only 3,713 were delivered. The contract was terminated in August 2022 due to further discrepancies.

Furthermore, the accused are alleged to have misappropriated USD 7,380,751 for personal use, with none of the funds recovered thus far.

In other news – Kenya’s president scraps tax proposal following violent demonstrations

Kenya’s President William Ruto announced his intention to retract a finance bill that included contentious tax increases following violent protests that resulted in the parliament building being set on fire on Tuesday.

Addressing the nation, he acknowledged that Kenyans had unequivocally expressed their opposition to the bill. “I concede,” he said, noting he would not sign the bill into law. Read More