Zimbabwean businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu were found guilty of fraud by the High Court in Harare on October 22, 2025. They have been in custody since their arrest in June 2024 for defrauding the government in a botched Presidential Goat Scheme. Sentencing is expected to take place in the coming week. 

High Court Judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda convicted Chimombe and Mpofu of fraud and money laundering. The two men, through their company Black Deck Private Limited, forged documents to win a tender for the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme.They received an advance payment of US$7 million but failed to deliver the animals. The total contract was reportedly worth US$87 million.

TIMELINE OF THE CASE

• September 3–17: The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development flights a tender for the Presidential Goat Pass-On Scheme.
• September: The defendants allegedly commit fraud, receiving an advance payment of US$7 million from a fraudulent US$87 million contract for the goat scheme. To secure the contract, their company, Black Deck Private Limited, reportedly used forged documents, including a Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) tax clearance certificate and a National Social Security Authority (NSSA) compliance certificate. 

• June: The two men are arrested on fraud charges and sent to remand prison.
• July 16: A Harare magistrate denies the pair bail.
• July 30: Chimombe and Mpofu file an appeal against the bail refusal.
• August: The High Court denies the bail appeal.
• October 1–4: The pair’s fraud trial begins at the Harare High Court.
• December 27: A bail hearing for the pair is scheduled but postponed to January 3, 2025, after prosecutors request more time.

• January 3: A new bail hearing is held, but bail is again denied.
• January 16: The High Court upholds the decision to deny Chimombe bail, extending his pre-conviction detention.
• February 10: The trial continues after the High Court dismisses Chimombe and Mpofu’s application to refer the case to the Constitutional Court. Justice Pisirayi Kwenda rules their claims of constitutional violations are “frivolous”.
• June 3: During the trial, a former Ministry of Agriculture permanent secretary testifies that Black Deck Private Limited had delivered goats for some project launches but that the ministry had not used the proper channels to resolve the conflict.
• June 11: State prosecutors withdraw charges against the pair for a separate fraud case involving a lighting tender for the Harare City Council. They remain in custody for the goat scheme fraud.
• October 22: High Court Judge Justice Pisirayi Kwenda convicts Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu of fraud and money laundering in the Presidential Goat Scheme.
• Next week (October 27 onwards): Sentencing is expected to take place.

Justice Kwenda had previously indicated that if convicted, the pair could face a presumptive sentence of 20 years in jail. The High Court had earlier denied the pair’s application to have their case referred to the Constitutional Court, ruling their constitutional claims were “frivolous”.

Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, who had been in China, appeared at the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Offices  where they were arrested by ZACC Investigations Officer Henry Chapwanya.

“𝑊𝑒 𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑟, 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑎. 𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒, ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑦 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑢𝑠 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒.”

The two tenderpreneurs exposed dirty corruption in a letter to Ren-Form, which pushed them out of a partnership to supply ZEC with election material last year. They also duped the Government of US$40 million after getting a US$87 million contract to supply 632 000 goats.