Cathy Buckle on Zim’s infamous goat thieves - crooks who had too many powerful enemies
Key topics:
Two businessmen stole $7.7m from Zimbabwe’s Presidential Goat Project.
Only 4,208 of 632,000 goats were delivered; 93,711 goats missing.
Mpofu and Chimombe sentenced to 22 and 17 years with restitution.
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By Cathy Buckle
Dear Family and Friends,
Planes and cars, fuel, airports, roads and railways, land, farms and housing, grain, agricultural inputs and machinery, steel, timber, gold, diamonds, refuse trucks, electricity, cancer machines and covid masks ….. the list goes on and on of the corruption scandals that have brought shame upon shame to Zimbabwe in the past forty-five years. Corruption is now Zimbabwe’s middle name. Today’s Letter From Zimbabwe is the story of two men, one government tender and 93,711 missing goats.
It all began back in 2021 when two businessmen entered into an US$88 million contract with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture to supply and deliver 632,000 goats over a period of five years. The goats were for the Presidential Goat Project, which was part of a Rural Development Initiative, aiming to distribute 632,000 goats across the country to benefit orphans, child headed families, elderly, disabled and chronically ill people.
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Operating through a company called Blackdeck, the two men were given advance payments totaling US$7.7 million to start sourcing and distributing the goats. The two men delivered 4,208 goats and the remaining US$7,381,000 of the advance money disappeared. The whereabouts of 93,711 goats remains unknown.
The contract was later cancelled for non-delivery but by then other scandals and whispers surrounding the two businessmen swirled, big names were dropped and more dirt was dug up and for a while the goats story got lost in the quagmire. When the issue finally got to court the two businessmen, Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe, were in the dock and all eyes were on them and the missing goats.
Prosecutor Whisper Mabhaudhi said: “This offence shocks the conscience. They stole from the poorest of the poor.” The Prosecutor said Mr Mpofu had never accounted for the missing US$7.7 million but talked about how he had upgraded, roads, a dam and his farm. The Prosecutor said that there was “never any genuine remorse.” Mpofu admitted the offence was serious but said: “It hurts me because I did not do it. It was Blackdeck.” (his company) He said he didn’t personally have the money to make restitution and that his US$1.5 million house in Borrowdale was in a family trust. He said he has nine children, eight of whom are still in school.
Mr Chimombe’s lawyer said that his client was a “rags to riches” businessman and was ready to make restitution. He said Chimombe owned two properties, a house in Borrowdale worth US$800,000 and another in Chinhoyi worth US$120,000 and vehicles worth US$200,000. Pleading for leniency Mr Chimombe said he has three wives and 15 minor children.
Mr Mpofu (50) and Mr Chimombe (44), were this week sentenced to 22 and 17 years respectively, with portions of their sentences suspended on condition that they pay restitution. On sentencing, the Judge said: “This crime was not only a theft of public funds, it was a theft of hope for the poorest members of our society.”
The conviction and now incarceration of Zimbabwe’s infamous goat fraudsters has surprised us. Many before them have got away with much, much more than seven million dollars but in this case, in the end, it was more about the swirling whispers and the people behind them, than the goats.
There is no charge for this Letter From Zimbabwe but if you would like to donate please visit my website.
Until next time, thanks for reading this Letter From Zimbabwe now in its 25th year, and my books about life in Zimbabwe, a country in waiting.
Ndini shamwari yenyu (I am your friend)
Love Cathy 9th December 2025.
Copyright © Cathy Buckle https://cathybuckle.co.zw/
My new Photobook “Zimbabwe’s Timeless Beauty The 2025 Collection” and my Beautiful Zimbabwe 2026 Calendar are now available. They can both be ordered from my website or from LULU. Click here to order www.lulu.com/spotlight/cathybuckle2018