Officials lie about corrupt tender

BRENNA
MATENDERE

THE
Zimbabwe
Electoral
Commission
(Zec)’s
credibility
has
plunged
to
a
new
low
—
hitting
rock-bottom
in
the
abyss
of
dishonour
—
as
its
officials
scramble
to
contain
the
damaging
fallout
from
the
corrupt
US$40
million
tender
scandal
which
has
exploded
with
dramatic
revelations
and
far-reaching
consequences.

In
a
belated,
after-thought,
reaction,
Zec
says
it
has
no
contract
with
and
did
not
secure
any
materials
through
three
local
businessmen
Wicknell
Chivayo,
Moses
Mpofu
and
Mike
Chimombe
linked
to
the
tender.

Zec
also
claims
it followed
procedures
prescribed
by
the
law
and
engaged
all
relevant
stakeholders
through
the
Special
Procurement
Oversight
Committee
(Spoc),
which
includes
the
Procurement
Regulatory
Authority
of
Zimbabwe
(Praz),
in
sourcing
electoral
materials
for
the
elections
from
South
African
supplier
Ren-Form
CC.

It
also
says
it
wrote
to
the
ministry
of
Foreign
Affairs
and
International
Trade
on
16
February
2023
seeking
assistance
to
identify
potential
suppliers
through
embassies.

Overally,
Zec
say
it
spent
approximately
US$21
million
on
items
such
as
canvas
tents,
ballot
papers,
solar
lights
and
indelible
ink
marking
pens
for
the
2023
polls.

“The
total
amount
that
was
spent
on
importing
material
for
the
elections
including
some
donations
was
US$21
148
867.
This
includes
materials
like
solar
lights,
tents,
ballot
papers
and
display
kits
for
V11
forms,”
Zec deputy
chief
elections
officer 
Simbarashe
Tongai
told
the
state-controlled
weekly,
The
Sunday
Mail.

However, The
NewsHawks,
which
broke
the
story,
has
more
details
showing
that
Zec
dealt
with
Chivayo,
Chimombe
and
Mpofu
despite
the
electoral
commission’s
attempt
to
distance
itself
from
them.

Zec
is
desperately
trying
to
wriggle
out
through
legal
technicalities,
for
instance
it
says
it
has
no
contract
with
Chivayo,
Chimombe
and
Mpofu,
which
is
a
half-truth
but
neither
here
nor
there.

In
brief,
this
is
what
really
happened:
Chivayo,
who
is
close
to
Zec
chairperson
Priscilla
Chigumba
and
Central
Intelligence
Organisation
(CIO)
Director-General
Isaac
Moyo,
as
well
as
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa,
got
the
closed
Zec
tender
by
leveraging
his
relationships
and
connections
with
the
high-profile
officials.

Chivayo
says
Mnangagwa
is
firmly
under
his
vice-like
grip.

The
Zanu
PF
youth
league
and
information
department
have
reacted
angrily
to
this
claim.

Because
he
does
not
have
the
technical
know-how
on
election
matters
and
material
supplies,

Chivayo
invited
Mpofu,
who
has
an
IT
background
and
has
dealt
with
Zec
many
times
before,
to
be
part
of
the
closed
tender.

Mpofu
then
brought
in
his
friend,
Chimombe,
as
they
always
hunt
for
tenders
and
work
together
as
shown
by
the
US$88
million
Presidential
Goats
Scheme
scam.

Then
gold
baron
Pedzai
“Scott”
Sakupwanya
was
roped
in
as
the
funder.
Chivayo
did
not
have
a
cent
to
fund
the
deal.

Prior
to
the
Zec
tender,
Chivayo,
who
previously
made
money
from
state
power
utility
Zesa
tenders,
was
broke.

One
of
Mnangagwa’s
children
—
a
lady
named
Chido
Mnangagwa
—
was
also
brought
in.

In
all
this
wheeling
and
dealing,
Chigumba
held
meetings
with
Chivayo,
Mpofu
and
Chimombe,
including
at
her
Greendale
home
in
Harare.

They
then
eventually
travelled
together
to
meet
Ren-Form
executives
in
Johannesburg
to
seal
the
deal.

The
NewsHawks
investigations
show
that
Sakupwanya
paid
US$30
000
for
the
trip.

Overall,
Sakupwanya
paid
US$200
000
on
the
deal,
of
which
US$90
000
went
to
pay
Chigumba’s
overseas
education
fees
and
upkeep
expenses
for
her
child.

Chigumba
travelled
with
her
aid
and
child
to
Johannesburg,
together
with
Chivayo
and
Mpofu
on
1
February
2023
for
a
meeting
the
following
day,
2
February
2023.

Together
with
Chivayo
and
Mpofu,
they
stayed
at
the
upmarket
5-star
luxury DaVinci
Hotel
and
Suites
on
Nelson
Mandela
Square,
Sandton
Mall.

Chigumba,
Chivayo
and
Mpofu
met
Ren-Form
executives
on
2
February
2023
in
Johannesburg
to
finalise
the
deal.

Chimombe
did
not
attend
the
meeting
as
he
was
on
the
campaign
trail
for
Zanu
PF
ahead
of
the
23/24
August
2023
general
elections.

Sakupwanya
was
also
not
there
due
to
other
business
commitments.
That
is
why
on
the
photos
currently
circulating
on
social
media
—
which
provide
critical
and
undeniable
evidence
to
show
Zec
is
wilfully
lying
—
Chimombe
and
Sakupwanya
are
not
there.

There
is
only
Chivayo
and
Mpofu
on
some
and
Chivayo,
Mpofu
and
Ren-Form
international
sales
executive
Angus
Carlaw
on
others.

There
are
also
other
photos
with
just
Ren-Form
officials.

Chigumba
is
not
appearing
on
the
photos,
but
she
attended
the
meeting.

After
Chigumba,
Chivayo
and
Mpofu
visited
Ren-Form
on
2
February
2023,
an
agreement
was
signed
between
Ren-Form
and
Better
Brands
Security
(Pvt)
Ltd,
owned
by
Sakupwanya,
the
funder
of
the
deal,
on
13
February
2024.

Apart
from
Better
Brands
Security
(Pvt)
Ltd,
which
is
Zimbabwean
registered,
and
located
at
72
Cambridge
Drive,
Greendale,
Harare,
there
is
also
Better
Brands
Security
(Pty)
Ltd,
which
is
South
African
registered
for
purposes
of
receiving
funds
through
its
FNB
account
held
at
the
Sandton
branch.

While
in
Zimbabwe
companies
use
“Pvt”
Ltd,
in
South
Africa
they
abbreviate
“Pty”
Ltd.
Zec
had
its
own
agreement
with
Ren-Form
well
ahead
of
the
official
process
—
which
was
a
mere
formality
—
that
subsequently
followed
later.

According
to
Zec,
as
reported
by The
Sunday
Mail,
the
electoral
commission
wrote
to
the
ministry
of
Foreign
Affairs
and
International
Trade
on
16
February
2023
seeking
assistance
to
identify
potential
suppliers
through
embassies.

The
ministry
responded
five
days
later,
indicating
the
Zimbabwean
embassy
in
South
Africa
had
identified
seven
potential
suppliers
—
Asset
Protection
Africa
(Johannesburg);
Uni
Print
(Durban);
UV
Equip
(Midrand);
Lithotech
(Johannesburg);
Forms
Media
Independent
(Johannesburg);
Novus
Print
(Cape
Town);
and
Ren-Form
CC,
based
in
Johannesburg.

After
a
vetting
process,
three
companies
were
shortlisted.

A
team
headed
by
Zec
deputy
chairperson
Rodney
Kiwa,
which
also
included
government
printing
experts
from
Printflow
and
Fidelity
Printers,
as
well
as
a
forensic
scientist
from
police,
subsequently
travelled
to
South
Africa
between
April
16
and
21
for
a
due
diligence
exercise.

They
also
roped
in
embassy
officials.

Ren-Form
emerged
the
“ideal
supplier
as
it
reportedly
had
the
ability
to
provide
all
the
required
materials,
unlike
the
two
other
shortlisted
companies”.

As
per
procedure,
the
contract
for
procurement
of
the
ballot
papers
and
ink
was
submitted
to
Spoc,
which
includes
Praz,
on
8
May.
Four
days
later,
on
12
May,
Spoc
approved
the
procurement.

After
the
elaborate
process,
the
official
narrative
says,
the
elections
management
body
then
submitted
papers
to
Praz
on
22
June
for
approval,
which
was
granted
on
27
June.

As
shown
by
documents
and
verification
by
The
NewsHawks,
the
entire
process
as
described
by

Zec
happened
after
Ren-Form
had
already
been
secretly
awarded
the
tender
on
2
February
2023.

Ren-Form
signed
its
contract
with
Better
Brands
on
13
February
2023,
after
agreeing
with
Zec
as
well.
This
was
way
before
Zec
started
its
official
process,
a
mere
formality.

Documents
shows
that
the
official
process
actually
starts
after
the
agreement
has
been
signed
behind
the
scenes.

By
the
time,
the
official
Zec
delegation
travels
to
South
Africa
for
engagements
on
from
16
April
through
to
final
approvals
on
27
June,
the
tender
was
already
running
and
money
flowing.

In
fact,
the
first
payment
had
already
come
before
the
Easter
holidays
on
31
March
2024.

This
is
confirmed
in
one
of
Chivayo’s
audio
notes
in
which
he
talks
about
receiving
US$1
million
before
Easter
which
should
be
split
and
distributed
to
key
beneficiaries.

As
it
says
in
its
statement
in
a
bid
to
hide
behind
technicalities,
Zec
does
not
have
a
contract
with
Chivayo,
Chimombe
and
Mpofu
because
they
were
brokers
or
agents
between
the
elections
body
and
the
supplier,
Ren-Form.

On
payments,
the
Zimbabwean
Treasury,
with
Zec’s
instruction
as
a
party
to
the
deal,
paid
Ren-Form
through
its
Standard
Bank
account,
Southdale
branch,
in
Johannesburg,
which
in
turn
transferred
part
of
the
money
to
Better
Brands
under
Chivayo’s
control.

Chivayo
actually
started
directly
taking
the
cash
from
Ren-Form
and
distributing
it
himself,
saying
if
he
deposited
the
money
into
the
Better
Brands
or
Sakupwanya
account
that
would
raise
eyebrows
and
attract
money
laundering
and
tax
crime
suspicions
as
it
was
new.

This
explains
one
of
his
audio
notes
to
a
WhatsApp
group
of
business
partners
in
March
around
Easter
time,
saying
he
had
received
US$1
million
from
Ren-Form
which
should
be
split
and
distributed
as
follows:
Sakupwanya
(US$350
000
—
which
included
his
US$200
000
initial
outlay);
Chivayo
(US$150
000);
Mpofu
(US$150
000),
Chimombe
(US$150
000);
“Moms
vaya”
(Chigumba,
US$100
000)
and
“DG”
(CIO
boss
Moyo,
US$100
000).

Chivayo
has
denied
the
audios,
claiming
they
are
artificial
intelligence
(AI),
but
informed
sources
say
it
was
him
on
the
voice
notes
explaining
how
the
money
was
going
to
be
shared.

There
is
evidence
of
WhatsApp
to
show
that
it
is
Chivayo,
not
a
deepfake
or
anything
generated
by
AI.

Further
payments
followed
after
the
US$1
million
in
March
before
the
fight
broke
out
over
money.

The
first
US$2
673
360
quotation
was
made
on
20
February
2023,
well
before
the
merely
academic
official
process
and
approvals.

Some
invoices
and
payments,
for
example
the
US$8
964
603.80,
were
fraudulently
and
criminally
inflated
by
up
to
235%
to
ensure
maximum
benefits
to
fund
extravagant
and
flamboyant
lifestyles,
including
buying
cars
for
prominent
individuals
in
society
and
cash
donations.
Later
when
greed
kicked
in
and
took
charge,
Chivayo
removed
Better
Brands
from
the
agreement
with
Ren-Form
and
put
his
own
company
Intratrek
Zimbabwe
to
take
full
control
of
the
funds.

This
led
to
a
blazing
argument
and
the
bitter
fallout
with
his
partners,
Mpofu,
Chimombe
and
Sakupwanya.

Chivayo
took
the
lion’s
share
first
and
later
everything
as
he
cut
off
Mpofu
and
Chimombe.

Even
the
funder
Sakupwanya
was
closed
out
of
the
deal
later,
although
he
was
treated
better.

For
instance,
he
was
given
an
oak-white
2023
Rolls
Royce
Ghost
in
lieu
of
payment
in
April.

Yet
Zec,
which
has
repeatedly
failed
to
run
free,
fair
and
credible
elections
in
Zimbabwe,
putting
the
country’s
future
at
risk,
chose
to
wilfully
mislead
and
lie
to
the
public
on
a
big
corruption
matter
in
which
taxpayers’
funds
are
involved
and
the
democratic
will
of
the
people
was
at
stake.

In
a
mendacious
statement
—
loaded
with
half-truths,
lies,
deceit
—
Zec
says:
“We
have
noted
with
great
concern
social
media
posts
and
rumours
circulating
online,
that
are
causing
public
alarm
and
despondency
and
we
would
like
to
put
it
on
record
that
the
Zimbabwe
Electoral
Commission
has
no
contract
nor
did
it
procure
any
election
material
from
or
through
individuals
being
mentioned
in
the
reports.

“All
materials
procured
for
the
2023
Harmonised
Elections
were
obtained
in
line
with
procurement
regulations
and
there
was
due
diligence
as
all
tender
processes
were
subjected
to
oversight.

“We
challenge
all
those
alleging
that
the
Commission
has
a
contract
with
the
three
individuals
to
come
forward
and
present
the
same.

“We
want
to
also
publicly
declare
that
the
actual
amounts
used
for
the
procurement
of
all
the
election
materials
were
far
less
than
the
figures
being
mischievously
circulated
on
social
media.

“All
election
materials
procured
during
the
2023
Harmonised
Elections
were
delivered
on
time.

“The
commission
has
also
checked
with
the
supplier
who
categorically
stated
in
writing
that
they
did
not
have
any
contract
with
the
same
individuals
for
the
supply
of
election
materials
during
the
2023
Harmonised
Elections.

“Furthermore,
there
were
no
third
parties
between
the
Commission
and
all
election
material
suppliers.

“Any
statements
suggesting
a
contractual
link
between
ZEC
and
these
individuals
for
the
supply
of
the
2023
Harmonised
Elections
materials
are
inaccurate,
misleading
and
mischievous
and
therefore
should
be
dismissed
with
the
contempt
it
deserves.
The
Commission
assures
all
its
stakeholders
that
all
procurements
were
above
board.
“Ms
C.
Ngandini
Acting
Chief
Elections
Officer
Zimbabwe
Electoral
Commission.”

However,
the
truth,
as
shown
here
by
The
NewsHawks
in
this
narrative,
is
that
Zec
had
a
deal
with
Chivayo
who
brought
in
Mpofu
and
Chimombe
well
before
the
official
process
to
legitimise
the
corrupt
tender
award.

Sakupwanya
was
later
roped
in.

So
in
the
end,
the
tender
deal
had
Zec,
Ren-Form
and
Better
Brands,
which
was
carrying
Chivayo,
Chimombe,
Mpofu
and
Sakupwanya.
Chido
Mnangagwa
was
also
involved.

Key
officials
around
the
deal
included
Chigumba,
Moyo
and
Chief
Secretary
to
Cabinet
and
President
Martin
Rushwaya,
among
others.

Zec
and
Chivayo,
among
others,
have
denied
the
allegations
amid
overwhelming
and
undeniable
evidence
of
corruption,
deceit
and
lies.

Post
published
in:

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