BUSINESSMEN FALL INTO TROUBLE AFTER FIGHT WITH POWERFUL PARTNER

Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, two well-known businessmen, are in serious trouble. Their problems started because of a fight with their business partner, Wicknell Chivayo. A government official says Chivayo turned against them to protect himself and high-ranking officials involved in a $100 million scandal with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).

Chimombe and Mpofu are facing fraud charges in two cases. One case is about a $7.7 million Presidential Goats Scheme, and the other is about a $9.2 million street lights tender. But their biggest mistake was getting into a fight with Chivayo. This fight uncovered corruption among important government officials.

These cases were known about for a long time, but nothing was done until the Zec scandal became public. The fight between Chimombe, Mpofu, and Chivayo made things worse, drawing attention to the corruption happening in the government. According to a source, if they hadn’t caused trouble, the cases might have been ignored.

The Zec scandal is about corruption during the 2023 general elections in Zimbabwe. Many powerful people are involved, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is close to Chivayo. Other important officials like Martin Rushwaya, the Secretary to the President, and Priscilla Chigumba, the chairperson of Zec, are also involved. The President’s daughter, Chido, is also connected to the misuse of public money during the election process.

Chimombe and Mpofu’s troubles began when they had a disagreement with Chivayo over money. This disagreement exposed the corruption in Zec. Although they were not arrested for the Zec scandal, they were arrested for their other cases related to the Presidential Goats Scheme and the street lights tender.

Sources say that Chivayo and his powerful friends are now working together to make sure Chimombe and Mpofu take the blame for exposing the corruption. Chimombe and Mpofu were tricked into coming back to Zimbabwe from China, where they were on a business trip. They were promised safety, but when they returned, they were arrested.

Their lawyers had warned them not to come back, saying they would be punished for exposing the truth, especially since Zimbabwe’s legal system doesn’t always follow the rule of law in political cases. In Zimbabwe, it is common for the law to be used unfairly in politically sensitive cases.

As expected, Chimombe and Mpofu have been denied bail several times. This is not because their charges are very serious, but because they are being punished for causing problems for important people. On Wednesday, the High Court refused their bail application again for the goats scam case. This was the second time their request was turned down. Their other bail request, for the street lights case, was also denied.

High Court Judge Pisirayi Kwenda said Chimombe and Mpofu should stay in jail until their trial, which is set for October 1. He said that since the trial date is so close, their bail application did not make sense.

The prosecutors have accused Chimombe and Mpofu of using fake tax documents to get government contracts. In the street lights case, magistrate Stanford Mambanje also refused to grant them bail, saying that they are rich and could easily leave the country to escape trial. The magistrate also said that if they are found guilty, they could spend a long time in prison.

Now, Chimombe and Mpofu are in a difficult situation. They are caught in a fight with their former partner Chivayo and the powerful people who support him. These high-ranking officials seem determined to make Chimombe and Mpofu take all the blame to protect themselves from the fallout of the Zec scandal. It looks like Chimombe and Mpofu have been sacrificed, and it’s hard to see how they will get out of this political and legal mess.