MIKE CHIMOMBE AND MOSES MPOFU IN BIG TROUBLE AFTER FIGHT WITH BUSINESS PARTNER

Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, two well-known businessmen, are facing serious trouble after a falling out with their business partner, Wicknell Chivayo. The issue began when they got into a fight with Chivayo, who then turned against them. A high-level government official said Chivayo did this to protect himself and some high-ranking officials who were involved in a big scandal. This scandal, worth $100 million, was connected to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).Chimombe and Mpofu are now facing charges of fraud. These charges come from two separate cases. The first is the $7.7 million Presidential Goats Scheme, and the second is a $9.2 million street lights tender. However, their real mistake was getting into a fight with Chivayo. This argument uncovered corruption involving senior government officials.

Authorities had known about the fraud cases for a long time, but they did nothing until the Zec scandal came to light. Their disagreement with Chivayo only made things worse. It brought attention to the corruption happening at high levels of government. According to one source, if Chimombe and Mpofu had not started this fight, the cases might have been ignored completely.The Zec scandal is about corruption during the 2023 general elections in Zimbabwe. This corruption involves very powerful people, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who is a close ally of Chivayo. Other officials involved are Martin Rushwaya, who is the Secretary to the President, and Priscilla Chigumba, who is the chairperson of Zec. The President’s daughter, Chido, is also linked to the misuse of public money during the election.

The problems for Chimombe and Mpofu started because they had a disagreement with Chivayo over money. This disagreement made the corruption in the Zec scandal more visible. While Chimombe and Mpofu weren’t arrested for their role in the Zec scandal, they were arrested for their involvement in the Presidential Goats Scheme and the street lights tender.Sources say that Chivayo and his powerful friends are working together to ensure that Chimombe and Mpofu take the blame for exposing the Zec corruption. Chimombe and Mpofu were in China for a business trip, but they were tricked into returning to Zimbabwe. They were promised they would be safe, but when they returned, they were arrested immediately.

Their lawyers had warned them not to return to Zimbabwe. They were told they would be sacrificed for exposing the truth, especially since Zimbabwe’s legal system doesn’t always follow the law in political cases. In the country, it is common for the law to be used unfairly, particularly when politics are involved.Just as their lawyers predicted, Chimombe and Mpofu have been denied bail several times. This is not because their crimes are so serious, but because they are being punished for causing trouble for important people. On Wednesday, the High Court refused their bail request again for the Presidential Goats Scheme. This was the second time their request was denied. Their other bail application, for the street lights case, was also turned down.

High Court Judge Pisirayi Kwenda said that 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, granting them bail didn’t make sense.Prosecutors accuse 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 the two businessmen are very wealthy and could easily leave the country to avoid standing trial. The magistrate also said that if Chimombe and Mpofu are found guilty, they could face long prison sentences.

Now, Chimombe and Mpofu find themselves in a very difficult situation. They are caught in a battle with their former partner Chivayo, who has the backing of powerful officials. These high-ranking officials seem determined to let Chimombe and Mpofu take all the blame, in order to protect themselves from the fallout of the Zec scandal. It seems clear that Chimombe and Mpofu have been sacrificed, and their chances of escaping this political and legal mess appear slim.