By A Correspondent| The Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s agricultural ambitions, finds itself under increasing scrutiny not for its farming output, but for a disturbing trend of alleged criminal activities involving individuals associated with the organization.
As the nation grapples with a concerning surge in crime, questions are mounting over the leadership of ARDA’s Chief Executive Officer, Tinotenda Mhiko, and whether his tenure has inadvertently coincided with, or even facilitated, a culture of impunity within the state entity.
Recent months have painted a troubling picture as the courts have been seized with cases implicating the arrest of Gideon Msambakurima, a serving police officer, among others. Msambakurima is accused of defrauding ARDA of over US$4,700 in fertilizer supplies.
It is the State’s case that the accused joined the ARDA Joint Venture Farming programme and was given 8 metric tons of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser for his 20-hectare maize plot.
Weeks later, he allegedly used the same batch number to obtain an additional 6 metric tons of Windmill Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser, despite having exhausted his allocation
The modus operandi, involving the alleged fraudulent use of batch numbers to obtain excess inputs, raises serious concerns about the internal controls and oversight mechanisms within ARDA.
Furthermore, the case of former Minister of State for Mashonaland West Province, Reuben Marumahoko, arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for alleged fraud involving close to US$38,000 in ARDA inputs, further deepens the crisis.
The allegations suggest a calculated misrepresentation of farming capacity to illicitly acquire and then divert agricultural resources, directly prejudicing ARDA.
While these cases involve individuals, the sheer volume and nature of the allegations raise critical questions about the broader leadership and governance at ARDA under Tinotenda Mhiko.
In another case, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) arrested Simbarashe Changachimire on allegations of fraud after he swindled the Mhiko led entity of farming inputs while purporting that he owned a farm with irrigation infrastructure.
Changachimire (46), a Karoi-based farmer, allegedly misrepresented to ARDA that he was the owner of Temple Combe Farm, resulting in him receiving inputs amounting to 20 tonnes of Compound D Fertilizer, 625 Kgs seed maize and chemicals.
After receiving the inputs, he reportedly traded the 20 tonnes of Compound D fertilizer and 125 Kgs of PAN7M seed maize for 30 tonnes of wheat with one Henk Terblanche, a farmer at Kent Farm.
511 bags of fertilizer were recovered at Kent Farm.
Appointed substantively in March 2021, with a mandate to “transform ARDA to achieve food, feed and fibre security” and reposition it as a “major player in farming,” Mhiko’s tenure is now being viewed through the lens of these escalating criminal allegations.
The core question that demands urgent attention is whether the current leadership has fostered an environment where such alleged criminal activities could flourish. Were adequate due diligence processes in place when engaging individuals in ARDA programs? Were there robust monitoring and accountability mechanisms to prevent the alleged misappropriation of resources?
The stated vision under Mhiko was to move ARDA towards “leading by farming instead of administering agriculture” and to spearhead rural development projects. However, these noble aspirations are being overshadowed by the persistent stench of alleged corruption and fraud within the very organization tasked with driving agricultural progress.
While it is crucial to allow the legal processes to unfold and for the accused to have their day in court, the pattern of allegations is deeply concerning.