By A Correspondent | A Presidential Heifer Distribution Program was launched at a farm belonging to Douglas Kwande, a businessman based in Gweru and a close associate of the President.
The launch took place in Kwekwe District in February 2022, attended by ZANU-PF bigwigs, youth leadership, and provincial leaders from all ten provinces.
At the event, healthy pedigree heifer cattle were paraded before the delegates, showcasing what was intended for distribution.
Under the program, each provincial youth leadership was allocated 80 heifers, which were to be distributed to beneficiaries across various districts. The initiative was designed as a revolving distribution program, aimed at sustaining youth empowerment through cattle breeding.
However, it took nearly two years for the youth to receive the promised heifers—and when they did, it became apparent that the original healthy pedigree heifers had been swapped with undernourished, low-quality rural heifers.
The Heist: How the Youths Were Deceived
When the youth leadership finally accessed the heifers, they realized that what had been promised and what they received were vastly different.
• The healthy pedigree heifers from the launch had been replaced with malnourished rural cattle.
• Many of the weakened heifers died during transportation to their supposed beneficiaries.
• The youth leadership, under pressure to accept the inferior cattle, had no choice but to take them, even though many never reached their intended recipients.
Investigations Reveal the Scandal
An investigation into what happened to the original heifers uncovered a well-orchestrated scheme involving high-ranking individuals:
1. The two-year delay in distribution allowed Douglas Kwande and Local Government Minister July Moyo, in consultation with the President, to purchase cheaper rural heifers to replace the original pedigree heifers. These rural heifers were significantly cheaper, allowing them to pocket the difference.
2. A farm in the Lowveld was acquired by the First Family through the office of Masvingo Minister of State, Ezra Chadzamira.
3. Douglas Kwande then approached an indigenous cattle breeder, Victor Mhanga, based in Somabhula, to hold the original pedigree heifers at his farm before they were secretly moved to the First Family’s newly acquired Lowveld farm.
4. The pedigree heifers were later transported to the Lowveld, managed by Mhanga, who was given a Toyota 4×4 truck to facilitate his frequent travel between Gweru and the Lowveld for cattle management.
5. Kwande kept a significant number of the stolen heifers for himself, while the bulk was delivered to the Lowveld farm, now controlled by the First Family.
6. To complete the cover-up, Kwande and the President have since bought pedigree bulls to start a private cattle breeding program using the ill-gotten heifers that were meant for youth empowerment.
Observation: A Presidential Pattern of Corruption?
This heifer scandal is yet another example of how presidential programs, supposedly aimed at empowering the people, end up benefiting the President and his close allies.
Instead of uplifting the youth, state resources were once again siphoned for personal gain, with the Presidential Heifer Program turning into a personal cattle empire for the ruling elite.
This scandal raises critical questions about the true nature of government-run empowerment programs—and whether they are genuine initiatives or simply vehicles for high-level corruption.