Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) field officers in Matabeleland North’s Nkayi district have allegedly been stealing presidential agricultural inputs for the past four years.
This is contained in a report detailing the theft of the inputs addressed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Land, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development minister Anxious Masuka.
Former Ward 4 and 9 Agritex field officer, Marvelous Chiketa, appealed to authorities to order a probe and arrest of the culprits.
Chiketa said he was subjected to various forms of intimidation as well as threat to his life after he exposed the theft of the inputs, forcing him to seek a transfer to Kwekwe.
In the report, Chiketa said he made several efforts to report the matter to the police, but there were no arrests despite the discovery of some of the stolen inputs.
His report focused on the presidential inputs scandal between 2021 to 2022 and 2023 to 2024 season in Nkayi.
Chiketa named one of his supervisors as the chief culprit.
He said during deliveries, the supervisor would demand that a tonne of any delivered inputs be diverted to his home.
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"I decided to report the case to no avail,” he said.
“In 2021 to 2022, a scotch cart was seen ferrying inputs comprising compound D fertilizers and Pannar 413 maize seeds in Maphane village by two farmers in my ward. “
Chiketa said the farmers implicated the supervisor.
Chiketa said trouble started when he madefollow ups with several villagers to establish more about the looted inputs.
After launching the probe, hiscolleagues warned that he was digging his own grave, he alleged.
“I reported the case to my acting district agricultural extension officer and he told me that he was going to look into it but also he folded his hands," Chiketa said.
He later reported the case to Gwelutshena police.
“Instead, police sent a neighbourhood watch to investigate the matter,” he alleged.
"Some of the inputs were recovered at Mushipe homestead...it was then that my colleagues started issuing all kinds of threats against me.
“I found myself in Kwekwedistrict for the safety of my life.
"I am kindly requesting the intervention of the president of the Republic of Zimbabwe as well as the minister of Agriculture Dr Masuka to rescue me."
Matabeleland North provincial Agritexofficer Thulani Ndlovu confirmed the report but said investigations proved that Chiketa’s allegations were not true.
“Instead of reporting (the alleged theft) to his immediate supervisor, he filed his complaint at our head office, which was not a correct procedure,” Ndlovu said.
“He was supposed to report to the provincial offices first.
“But all the same after getting the report we found that all the allegations were figments of his imagination, they were all lies.”
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Richard Moyo said he had not seen the report.
“He must send me that report and submit it to the provincial police commander and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in Matabeleland North," Moyo said.
