Convicted businessmen Chimombe and Mpofu’s legal representative, Ashley Mugiya, has revealed their plan to appeal their fraud conviction in the Supreme Court.
Mugiya has publicly declared an intention to take their fight to the highest court in the land. The announcement came immediately after a Harare High Court found the pair guilty on multiple counts of fraud, related to the failure of the government’s Presidential Goat Scheme. Their lawyer, Ashley Mugiya, confirmed the planned appeal while speaking to journalists, including DJ Ollah, on the courthouse steps.
The verdict, delivered by Justice Pisirayi Kwenda on the evening of 22 October 2025, caps a lengthy and highly publicised trial that has kept the nation captivated. The two businessmen, who have been detained since their arrest last year, were formally remanded in custody. They now await a sentencing hearing scheduled for 31 October, where their fate will be decided.
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Chimombe and Mpofu’s Lawyer Reveals Plans To Appeal Fraud Conviction
The core of the state’s case revolved around a multi-million dollar agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and the pair’s company, Blackdeck. Awarded a tender in 2021, Blackdeck was contracted to supply a staggering 600,000 goats to empower rural farmers. The court heard that the company received a colossal sum of ZW$1.9 billion, equivalent to US$7.9 million (R147.5 million) at the time, in two separate payments during 2022.
However, the promised empowerment never materialised. Instead of delivering hundreds of thousands of goats, evidence presented to the court revealed that Blackdeck supplied a paltry 3,000 animals. Former agriculture secretary John Basera, who took the stand as a witness, detailed how the ministry was misled by falsified paperwork. He stated,
“The Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe had issued a no-objection letter for the deal, but it later turned out the supplier had submitted forged ZIMRA documents.”
Basera further elaborated on the financial negotiations, explaining that the initial goat price of between US$175 and US$250 was successfully negotiated down to a range of US$75 to US$95. Despite this reduced cost and the substantial upfront payments, the company failed to fulfil its obligations.
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“When our officials went to confirm the goats, we found less than 3,000 in the holding pens,” Basera testified. “The ministry then demanded restitution or guarantees.”
Justice Kwenda ultimately ruled that the two men had knowingly misrepresented their company’s capabilities and had diverted public funds for purposes other than the project.
Watch the video of the lawyer’s interview below:
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The post Chimombe and Mpofu’s Lawyer Reveals Plans To Appeal Fraud Conviction In Supreme Court appeared first on iHarare News.
