Source: Govt, Zanu PF officials loot presidential inputs -Newsday Zimbabwe
SEVERAL tonnes of maize seed and fertiliser under the Presidential Input Scheme have been looted by authorities, with the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) making several arrests in recent days.
Government, Zanu PF officials and police have been fingered in several incidents.
Most of the looted inputs are sold to unscrupulous people, who resale them to desperate farmers for a song.
In a statement, Zacc said it had arrested a Karoi police officer, Gideon Msambakurima, on allegations of defrauding the Agricultural Rural Development Authority (Arda) of over US$4 700 worth of fertiliser.
Msambakurima appeared before provincial magistrate Vakai Douglas Chikwekwe at Chinhoyi Magistrates Court on February 18, 2025, and was remanded to March 4, 2025, on US$200 bail.
“It is the State’s case that the accused joined the Arda joint venture farming programme and was given eight metric tonnes of calcium ammonium nitrate fertiliser for his 20-hectare maize plot,” Zacc said in a statement.
“Weeks later, he allegedly used the same batch number to obtain an additional six metric tonnes of Windmill ammonium nitrate fertiliser, despite having exhausted his allocation.”
In another case, Zacc arrested three individuals, including a Zanu PF councillor, for allegedly stealing and selling farming inputs.
Zanu PF councillor Linda Chishamiso, former Grain Marketing Board worker Enita Choga and Crispen Makoni appeared before Mutare magistrate Annie Ndiraya and were granted US$200 bail each.
They face a charge of theft as defined in section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].
“The trio allegedly conspired to divert 400 50kg bags of fertiliser worth US$12 000 and sold them in Rusape,” Zacc said.
Presidential farming inputs have flooded several markets in Harare and other cities.
Government says it has since mobilised over 360 000 tonnes of inputs, including seed and fertiliser, to support smallholder farmers.
Government is targeting cereal production of 3 512 658 tonnes — 2,8 million tonnes of maize and 712 658 tonnes of traditional grains and oil seed — which are enough to meet the country’s human consumption requirements.
The country needs about 2,2 million tonnes of grains annually.
Several tonnes of fertiliser meant to be distributed under the Presidential Inputs Programme have been recovered, as the authorities intensify efforts to curb misappropriation of inputs by unscrupulous individuals.
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