HARARE — Zanu PF Member of Parliament for Uzumba, Wiriranai Muchemwa, and local councillor Knowledge Chipundu have been charged with theft after allegedly stealing a significant quantity of mealie meal valued at US$12,000.

The mealie meal was initially intended for donation during a presidential address in Murehwa earlier this year, aimed at assisting vulnerable communities in the region.

The two individuals appeared before a Harare magistrate yesterday on charges of misappropriating the food aid.

It is the State’s case that the stolen consignment was meant to provide relief to those affected by food insecurity. However, instead of reaching the intended recipients, the mealie meal was allegedly diverted for personal use by the accused.

Muchemwa and Chipundu were not required to enter a plea when they appeared in court where they were remanded in custody to today for bail consideration.

Allegations are that on April 10, a representative from Black Cube mining company, Wang Qun, received a WhatsApp message from Muchemwa requesting US$12,000.

According to court documents, Muchemwa claimed that the funds would be used as a revolving fund for infrastructure development in Uzumba between April 2024 and April 2025.

A meeting was held to discuss the request, attended by the accused, as well as Tinashe Choto and executives from YangSheng and Inducorn.

During the meeting, Muchemwa allegedly insisted that each company contribute US$12,000. However, YangSheng and Black Cube Mining indicated that they preferred to donate mealie meal instead of cash, while Inducorn opted to contribute US$4,000.

As a result, the complainant and YangSheng agreed to pool their resources to purchase the mealie meal. The complainant subsequently paid US$12,000 to Jason Wu of YangSheng, who coordinated the purchase of 50 tonnes of maize, which was processed into 40 tonnes of mealie meal.

Court documents further allege that Chipundu and Choto misled a warehouse manager, Mutizwa, regarding the branding and collection of the mealie meal.

On July 9, 2024, Chipundu reportedly told Christine Chimhenga, an accountant at Paguyo Millers, that he would be collecting the mealie meal the following day.

After being instructed to coordinate with Mutizwa, Chipundu later claimed to be at the warehouse, despite Chimhenga’s absence. She directed him to her husband, Allen, who then released 20 tonnes of mealie meal to Chipundu and Choto.

The two allegedly transported the mealie meal to Murehwa Milling Company, where it was repackaged into 10 kg bags. They reportedly arranged for the milling company to sell the mealie meal on their behalf, generating US$10,000 from the sales.

The situation came to light when another local councillor, Lovemore Matanhire, sought a donation from Wang Qun, only to be told that a contribution had already been made. Wang then contacted Muchemwa, who denied any arrangement concerning the mealie meal. When questioned by Wang, Muchemwa learned that Chipundu and Choto had taken control of the mealie meal.

Despite being presented with evidence of their actions, Muchemwa allegedly did not take any steps to account for the missing mealie meal. This lack of accountability led to the eventual arrest of Chipundu and Choto.

The theft of the mealie meal has drawn significant attention, with critics calling into question the misuse of resources intended to help the country’s most vulnerable populations. Both Muchemwa and Chipundu are expected to face further legal proceedings in connection with the alleged crime.