Bulawayo – An anti-corruption task force has uncovered 150 bags of fertilizer and seeds from the Presidential Inputs Scheme hidden in a house in Queensdale Suburb, Bulawayo. 

The inputs, meant to support struggling farmers, were allegedly being sold on the black market in a scandal that underscores long-standing abuses of the agricultural support initiative.

The bust, carried out on December 27, 2024, followed a tip-off to the National Anti-Smuggling Task Force. 

Upon raiding No. 15 Connolly Road in Queensdale, officers discovered the fertilizer, typically distributed under the Presidential Inputs Scheme to boost small-scale farming, concealed in the residence.

A source within the task force revealed:

“We were expecting to find smuggled goods but instead found large quantities of fertilizer resembling those from the Presidential Inputs Scheme.”

The house owner, Wallace Mapiye (40), denied any connection to the stolen inputs and implicated Edgar Bhiri (28) of Njube. 

Bhiri, intercepted en route to a church in Emganwini, confessed to delivering the fertilizer to Mapiye and claimed to have sourced it from Tawanda Sibanda (56) of Mpopoma.

Sibanda, who was later apprehended at his residence, revealed that the goods had been supplied by a woman known only as Yvonne, an agricultural extension officer. 

According to Sibanda, Yvonne provided him with 150 bags of 50kg compound D fertilizer and instructed him to sell them, sharing the proceeds among those involved.

The Presidential Inputs Scheme, designed to empower Zimbabwe’s farmers with free seeds and fertilizer, has often been dogged by allegations of corruption.

Reports of Zanu PF politicians, middlemen, and extension officers misappropriating inputs to enrich themselves are frequent, undermining the program’s intent and depriving thousands of farmers.

In this case, all three suspects—Mapiye, Bhiri, and Sibanda—have been detained and the case referred to the police anti-corruption unit for further investigation.

This discovery highlights the ongoing need for stringent oversight to prevent similar abuses.

The anti-corruption task force has pledged to trace the full network behind this operation as authorities continue their investigations.

Source: CITE