Why Only Chimombe and Mpofu? The Goat Scandal Exposes a Much Deeper Rot

The long-running “goat tender scandal” reached a dramatic end yesterday as businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu were handed hefty prison sentences of 17 and 22 years respectively. The High Court ruled that they orchestrated a sophisticated fraud scheme that prejudiced the nation of US$7.7 million under a government livestock pass-on programme meant to benefit vulnerable rural families.

Their conviction has been widely welcomed as a step toward fighting corruption. But many Zimbabweans are now asking a far more important question, Why are Chimombe and Mpofu the only ones in the dock?

The facts before the nation point to a scandal far bigger than two businessmen. What we are witnessing is not justice fulfilled, but justice incomplete.

A Tender This Large Cannot Be Executed Without Government Complicity

No one disputes that the pair forged documents, created a fictitious entity, and misled authorities. But there is another undeniable truth:

A US$87 million tender cannot pass through the Ministry of Agriculture without senior officials approving every stage.

For a contract of such magnitude, standard government procedure requires:
• Due diligence verification
• NSSA and ZIMRA compliance checks
• Company registration confirmation
• Pre-award audits
• Post-award monitoring
• Delivery inspections before payments

Yet in this case, not a single red flag stopped the process:
• A fake NSSA certificate passed.
• An invalid tax clearance passed.
• An unregistered company signed the contract.
• Over US$7 million was paid in advance.
• Only 4,208 goats were delivered out of 632,000 – and still, no one in the Ministry was suspended, investigated, or charged.

This is not possible without failure or participation inside the Ministry of Agriculture.
A Ministry That Fails Due Diligence Must Be Held Accountable

The Ministry’s defence that the fraud was “sophisticated” is not acceptable from a government department entrusted with taxpayer money. If a ministry cannot detect a fake tax clearance, fake NSSA certificate, and a non-existent company, then:
• The entire procurement chain is compromised
• Management must be removed for gross negligence
• Internal audit systems have collapsed
• Officials who signed off should face criminal prosecution

Zimbabweans have long suffered from ministries that demand strict compliance from genuine suppliers but somehow “fail” to notice glaring irregularities when dealing with politically-connected or questionable companies.

This is the same government system where:
• Real suppliers wait months or years for payments,
• Yet fraudulent companies can be paid millions upfront,
• And the same ministries cry “no funds” when essential services grind to a halt.

Victims of delayed government payments know this problem too well.

PRAZ Is Also Not Clean

The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) is mandated to:
• Protect the public purse
• Prevent procurement abuse
• Vet suppliers and processes

Yet the goat tender one of the largest in the agricultural sector sailed through PRAZ channels without a single objection.

If PRAZ failed to detect forged documents and non-existent entities, then it is equally culpable. Its systems must be audited. Its officials must answer. The authority cannot continue as if nothing happened.

Selective Justice Is a Miscarriage of Justice

Chimombe and Mpofu deserve to face the consequences of their actions. But isolating them as the sole culprits is a gross miscarriage of justice.

Real anti-corruption work must follow the entire chain:
• Who evaluated the tender documents?
• Who approved the payments?
• Who authorised advance disbursements?
• Who confirmed “delivery” of goats?
• Who ignored audit red flags?

Until those officials stand in court, this case remains incomplete.

Corruption is never done by outsiders alone. Someone inside always opens the door.

Zimbabweans are tired of cosmetic arrests that spare the powerful while punishing the visible.

The goat scandal should be a turning point:
• The Ministry of Agriculture’s entire procurement management unit should be suspended pending full investigation.
• Officials who signed off the payments must be charged.
• PRAZ must undergo an independent forensic audit.
• Parliament must summon all stakeholders for public hearings.

Anything less leaves the public with one conclusion:
Zimbabwe prosecutes symptoms, not causes.

If the government is serious about fighting corruption, then the whole chain must be in the dock, not just the last two links.

Until then, justice remains half-done and the poorest Zimbabweans continue to pay the price.

Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi
+263772278161