HARARE – The High Court was on Monday forced to postpone trial commencement for business partners Moses Mpofu and Mike Chimombe for the umpteenth time after the latter failed to show up with lawyers telling the court that he developed an infection.

High Court judge Pisirayi Kwenda heard that Chimombe became sick during the weekend and his condition was expected to have improved within the next seven days.

“The basis of the application is that the second accused person, Mike Chimombe is not feeling well and is not in a state that he could stand trial. I received a document dated the 22nd of February 2025 in which a medical practitioner attended to the second accused person.

“The document indicates that the accused is expected to recuperate within seven days. So my application is that the matter be postponed to Monday next week, on the 3rd of March for commencement of trial,” Mugiya submitted.

Trial which was supposed to start last year is now expected to start next Monday.

Mpofu and Chimombe were arrested in June last year and have been in incarceration since then.

Prosecutors say the pair’s fraud charges emanate from tender documents they submitted through a company called Black Deck Private Limited in September 2021 when lands and agriculture ministry invited bids for the supply of 632,001 goats under a scheme worth US$87,757,168 to distribute goats nationally.

Under the scheme, beneficiaries would pass on the animals to the next needy household after kidding.

It is alleged that after winning the tender, it was Black Deck Livestock and Poultry Farming, an unregistered company, which signed documents with the ministry.

Mpofu represented the company and Chimombe acted as a witness.

On further review of Black Deck Private Limited’s documents, it is alleged that the company had no valid tax clearance certificate from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority for 2021, and that a QR code attached to the National Social Security compliance certificate belonged to a different company called Skywalk Investments.

Both documents were required for one to be eligible to bid for the tender.

Acting on the misrepresentations, prosecutors say the ministry went on to pay 30 percent of the contract in the local currency, an amount of ZWL1.6 billion which was allegedly equivalent to US$7,712,197 in two instalments on April 21, 2022, and June 29, 2022.

Following delays in delivering the goats, the ministry engaged Black Deck and was informed that the company had mobilised 32,500 goats across the provinces which were ready to be distributed to the final beneficiaries. A verification process by the ministry at various sites, it is alleged, showed that the company only had 3,713 goats.

“After the ministry of lands realised that they were being deceived by the accused persons, they then cancelled the contract on August 29, 2022,” charges the NPA.

To date, the prosecution says 4,208 goats worth US$331,445.25 have been delivered and the ministry was prejudiced of US$7,380,751.85.