OPINION | The Goat That Finally Came Home: Chimombe, Mpofu and the Politics of Selective Outrage

An analysis of the Chimombe and Mpofu goat scheme fraud case, examining public reactions, claims of tribalism and political persecution (image source)

By Percy Nhara | Southerton Business Times (Opinion)

Sometimes Zimbabwe feels like one long, chaotic village court — the kind where nobody reads the docket, but everyone has already chosen a side based on clan, cousin, or whichever goat bleated the loudest. This week’s national argument centres on the sentencing of Harare businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, who transformed a presidential goat scheme into a personal grazing project. The High Court handed Chimombe 20 years and Mpofu 25 years, later reduced to 12 and 15 years after suspensions and restitution conditions. Having already served 27 months, the credits were applied, and predictably, the reactions exploded across the country.

Within minutes of the judgment appearing on NewsDay Live, the first theory surfaced: tribalism. As if the goats themselves originated from specific provinces and filed tribal complaints. The money at stake was meant for a national programme with beneficiaries across Zimbabwe’s tribes, provinces and political backgrounds. Reducing a US$7,3 million fraud case to tribal debate is misleading and dismissive of the communities deprived of sustainable livelihoods. Corruption, like a goat, does not care about anyone’s surname.

Another familiar reflex followed: “But what about so-and-so?” The classic Zimbabwean defence where one thief points to another. Crime is not a group discount. The existence of other potentially guilty individuals does not erase fraud already proven in court. One conviction is not invalid simply because others escaped the net.

There were also claims of political persecution, despite both men being ZANU-PF aligned and convicted within a system controlled by the same political establishment. It is difficult to argue persecution when one is prosecuted by their own political home. Without evidence of internal political purging, the theory collapses quickly.

Stripping away the hashtags, tribal whistles and political gymnastics leaves a straightforward reality: they stole, they were caught, they were tried, and they were convicted. Only 4 208 goats were delivered out of the tens of thousands expected. Of the US$7,7 million disbursed, only US$331 445 reached the ground. This is not tribalism, persecution or selective justice. It is fraud — the kind that robs rural families and ruins national development efforts.

Zimbabwe’s justice system is far from perfect, and selective prosecution remains an issue. But even within an imperfect system, a correct conviction remains correct. Sometimes justice arrives late, limping and unsure of its path, but still arrives. The true scandal is that money meant for vulnerable communities — villagers, widows, youth and small farmers — was siphoned by two businessmen entrusted with a national empowerment initiative. Instead of manufacturing political and tribal distractions, the nation must confront the core truth: public funds were stolen, and this time, justice answered. For once, the goats won.