HARARE – The high-profile corruption saga rocking Zimbabwe has taken a dramatic twist as business partners Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu have officially issued a groveling apology to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Facing a terrifying 35-year prison sentence for the US$7.7 million Presidential Goat Scheme fraud, the duo has offered to compensate the state in a desperate bid for leniency.
The scandal, which has exposed the rot within the distribution of state resources, saw the two socialites accused of squandering funds meant to empower the poorest rural communities. In a tense pre-sentencing hearing at the High Court, Mpofu broke down, stating, “I want to say to Zimbabweans I’m sorry… Apology was always in my mind, starting from the President.”
Key Details:
- The Fraud: The pair’s company, Blackdeck Livestock and Poultry Farming, received millions to supply 85,000 goats but delivered only a fraction (approx. 4,000).
- The Offer: Despite claiming to have no personal funds, Chimombe’s legal team indicated a willingness to repay the Ministry of Agriculture to avoid the harsh custodial sentence sought by the state.
- State’s Stance: Prosecutors are demanding a stiff 35-year jail term, arguing that the fraud was “unprecedented” and a betrayal of the President’s vision for Vision 2030.
This 11th-hour apology has set social media ablaze, with Zimbabweans questioning whether “paying back the money” should buy freedom for the well-connected elite while ordinary citizens rot in jail for minor crimes.
