MIKE CHIMOMBE AND MOSES MPOFU THROWN UNDER THE BUS TO PROTECT BIG NAMES

Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, two well-known businessmen, are now in serious trouble. The problem started because of their fight with Wicknell Chivayo, their business partner. A high-level government official said Chivayo turned against them to protect himself and high-ranking officials who were part of a big scandal involving $100 million with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).

Chimombe and Mpofu face charges of fraud connected to two cases: the $7.7 million Presidential Goats Scheme and a $9.2 million street lights tender. However, their real mistake was getting into a fight with Chivayo. This fight uncovered corruption among senior government officials.

The authorities knew about these cases for a while, but nothing happened until the Zec scandal became public. Their fight with Chivayo made everything worse, as it brought attention to the corruption happening around the government. According to a source, if they had not caused problems, the cases would have likely been ignored.

The Zec scandal is about corruption during the 2023 general elections in Zimbabwe. The scandal involves powerful people, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is close to Chivayo, as well as other top officials like Martin Rushwaya, the Secretary to the President, and Priscilla Chigumba, the chairperson of Zec. The President’s daughter Chido is also linked to the misuse of public money during the election process.

Chimombe and Mpofu’s problems started when they had a disagreement with Chivayo over money. This exposed the Zec corruption. Even though they weren’t arrested for their role in 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 returning to Zimbabwe from China, where they were on a business trip. They were promised they would be safe, but once they came back, they were arrested.

Their lawyers had warned them not to return, saying they would be sacrificed 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, especially in politically sensitive cases.

As predicted, Chimombe and Mpofu have been denied bail multiple times. This isn’t because their charges are 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 explained that since the trial date is so close, their bail application didn’t make sense.

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

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