A headman in Matabeleland South has raised concerns over what he describes as delays in the handling of a case involving the alleged abuse of Presidential agricultural inputs.
Headman Godzi of Ward 7 in Brunapeg said he first reported the matter to police in December 2025 after discovering that fertiliser distributed under the Presidential inputs scheme was allegedly being bought and resold.
He told CITE that on 17 December 2025, at around 16:15, he found three young men loading fertiliser bags onto a truck at a local grinding mill.
“The fertiliser bags had earlier been given to Ward 7 people as Presidential Agricultural Inputs,” he said. “I ordered the boys to offload the bags and took the lorry keys before going to report the incident to the Brunapeg base.”
He said that when he returned with a police officer, the truck, which he identified as registration AFX 9051, had left the scene. He was told the driver had gone to a local chief’s homestead.
“I went to the Chief’s place and the Chief said he had not seen the lorry or the driver,” Godzi said.
According to the headman, the grinding mill owner later claimed the fertiliser belonged to a villager. Godzi said he then travelled with a police detail to Newline, where the villager allegedly admitted buying the fertiliser at 150 rand per bag.
Godzi said he was later informed that officers at Mphoengs had been instructed to refer the case to the Law and Order section based in Plumtree. He alleges that when he attempted to give a formal statement as a key witness, he was ignored.
“It is only last week that she is frantically phoning me and says she wants to interview me,” he said. “I am actually shocked, to say the least, why now.”
He also claimed that the buyer of the fertiliser was from Gokwe.
Responding to the allegations, Zimbabwe Republic Police confirmed that the matter is before the courts.
Matabeleland South acting police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni said the case was reported on 17 December 2025 and remains under investigation.
“This is an old case; it came to us on 17 December 2025. The questioning part is part of the ongoing investigations and it has gone to the court. There is the accused, the case is already being handled,” he said.
Assistant Inspector Mguni said the accused had previously been remanded to 15 January on bail of US$50 but had failed to pay at the time.
“I am not privy to whether he later paid the bail amount,” he added.
He urged Headman Godzi to cooperate with police, saying any concerns should be addressed through official channels while the case proceeds before the courts.