Chimombe, Mpofu pay hefty price for talking while eating

Businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu are facing increasing scrutiny and legal challenges, with allegations that their former business partner, Wicknel Chivayo, has orchestrated a scheme to shield himself and high-profile government officials implicated in a $100 million Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) scandal.

Chivayo, seeking to protect his own interests, has reportedly implicated Chimombe and Mpofu in the scandal, which has also drawn in President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Chivayo's strategy includes leveraging his close ties to Mnangagwa to secure more lucrative government contracts.

According to government sources, while Chimombe and Mpofu face allegations related to a $7.7 million Presidential Goats Scheme fraud and a $9.2 million Harare City Council street lights tender scam, their primary offense appears to be their public conflict with Chivayo. This conflict has led to the exposure of the corrupt dealings surrounding the ZEC.

A government official noted, "Chimombe and Mpofu's legal troubles are more about political maneuvering than genuine corruption. Their cases were well-known but were only acted upon after the ZEC scandal came to light. They are being targeted for their role in uncovering Chivayo's actions and implicating senior officials."

The ZEC scandal has implicated several prominent figures, including Mnangagwa, Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya, ZEC Chairperson Priscilla Chigumba, and other officials involved in misappropriating public funds.

In a letter to Ren-Form, Chimombe and Mpofu highlighted that Chivayo had falsely claimed to be sharing payments with top government officials, including Mnangagwa. They accused Chivayo of misleading stakeholders and requested that payments be withheld until the matter is resolved.

Despite not being arrested directly for the ZEC scandal, Chimombe and Mpofu were detained over allegations related to the goat scheme and street lights tender. Sources suggest that Chivayo and powerful officials are manipulating the situation to ensure Chimombe and Mpofu face severe consequences for exposing the scandal.

Returning to Zimbabwe from a business trip in China against their lawyers' advice, Chimombe and Mpofu now face significant legal challenges. They have been repeatedly denied bail, with High Court Judge Pisirayi Kwenda ruling that their bail appeals were moot due to an upcoming trial. Judge Kwenda criticized the use of bail appeals in cases already scheduled for trial, emphasizing that they should wait for the trial's commencement.

In the street lights tender case, Harare Regional Magistrate Stanford Mambanje denied bail, citing the serious nature of the offense and the possibility of the accused absconding due to their financial means. Chimombe and Mpofu are set to return to court for routine remand on September 12 and for their trial on October 1.

As the legal battles unfold, Chimombe and Mpofu face the prospect of harsh penalties while navigating a complex web of political retribution and corruption.