WHEN ALLIES TURN ENEMIES: HOW CHIVAYO SOLD OUT CHIMOMBE AND MPOFU TO PROTECT ZANU PF ELITES

In a shocking twist that exposes the rotten core of Zimbabwe’s political and business elite, local businessmen Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu have become the latest casualties of betrayal, greed, and political cover-ups. Once partners in lucrative state-linked deals, the two now find themselves behind bars, facing fraud charges that many say are less about justice and more about political vengeance. Their downfall began when they dared to cross paths with their powerful associate, Wicknell Chivayo — a man whose loyalty to ZANU PF’s ruling elite appears to outweigh any friendship or business partnership.

According to a senior government source, Chivayo turned against Chimombe and Mpofu to shield himself and protect high-ranking officials implicated in a massive US$100 million scandal involving the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The exposé has pulled back the curtain on the deep corruption surrounding Zimbabwe’s disputed 2023 elections — and the desperate attempts by those in power to keep their hands clean.

While Chimombe and Mpofu are officially facing charges tied to a US$7.7 million Presidential Goats Scheme and a US$9.2 million street lights tender, insiders suggest their real crime was challenging Chivayo over the ZEC funds. “Chimombe and Mpofu may have cases to answer, but this is more about politics and money involving senior government officials than actual corruption,” a source revealed. The timing of their arrest, coinciding with the ZEC scandal’s exposure, supports this claim. The authorities had long known about the goat and street light deals, but they only acted once the businessmen’s dispute with Chivayo risked revealing the involvement of powerful figures.

Among those implicated in the ZEC scandal are President Emmerson Mnangagwa himself, his trusted lieutenant Martin Rushwaya, ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba, and even the President’s daughter, Chido. These names, tied to allegations of looting public funds during the 2023 election process, have sent shockwaves through the corridors of power. To contain the damage, Chivayo reportedly collaborated with top officials to ensure Chimombe and Mpofu became the scapegoats.

The two businessmen’s troubles deepened when they were tricked into returning to Zimbabwe from China under false assurances of protection. Upon their arrival, they were swiftly arrested and detained. Their lawyers had warned them not to come back, fearing exactly this outcome — that they would be sacrificed to save the politically connected. In Zimbabwe, where the rule of law bends easily to political pressure, this pattern is nothing new. Selective justice has become a weapon, and pretrial detention a tool for silencing dissent or disciplining those who fall out of favor.

As expected, the courts have repeatedly denied Chimombe and Mpofu bail — not because their cases are strong, but because they “lacked good table manners while eating with VIPs,” as one insider put it. The High Court recently dismissed their bail appeal in the goats case for the second time, with Judge Pisirayi Kwenda ordering them to remain in custody until their trial on October 1. In the street lights tender case, Magistrate Stanford Mambanje also denied bail, claiming the accused were wealthy enough to flee.

Prosecutors allege the duo forged tax clearance certificates and compliance documents to secure contracts. Yet even these accusations appear secondary to the real agenda — to punish them for exposing the ZEC scandal and embarrassing the ruling elite. Behind closed doors, Chivayo and his allies in government are said to be working overtime to ensure their former partners are crushed completely.

Chimombe and Mpofu’s saga is a chilling reminder of how Zimbabwe’s justice system operates under ZANU PF’s shadow. It is not about fighting corruption, but about controlling narratives, silencing whistleblowers, and protecting the untouchable few. In the end, Chimombe and Mpofu’s biggest mistake was not corruption — it was forgetting that in Zimbabwe, when you dine with the powerful, you either stay silent or get devoured.