The Sunday Mail
Lasch Investment managing director Mr Evans Zininga allegedly misappropriated US$300 000 that farmers contributed for agricultural inputs, it has emerged.
Lasch Investment is a joint venture between the Zanu-PF Youth League and a private firm, Lasch Enterprises, with a mandate to mainly source inputs for small-holder farmers. The allegations emerged after a group of farmers detained Zanu-PF Central Committee member Cde Absolom Sikhosana and national youth affairs director Cde Tapiwa Zengeya over late distribution of the inputs. A senior Lasch Investment official told The Sunday Mail that Mr Zininga stopped reporting for duty three weeks ago after failing to account for US$60 000 the company gave him to buy inputs in Switzerland. A police report had not been made by last night and it is understood the parties are working on an “out of court settlement”.
Mr Zininga could not be reached for comment.
Lasch Investment director Mr Nelson Mahupete said efforts were underway to disburse inputs.
“Investigations have since indicated that Mr Zininga is trying to hijack the project by siphoning funds out of the organisation and diverting funds he sourced on behalf of Lasch Investment in Switzerland so that he launches his own farming inputs distribution company,” said Mr Mahupete. However, Cde Zengeya defended Mr Zininga saying the funds “were not abused but there were anomalies which were being corrected to make sure farmers get their inputs”.
The US$2,4 billion input scheme was launched in July by former Zanu-PF secretary for administration Cde Didymus Mutasa. Then party National Chair Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo officiated at the first inputs distribution ceremony at Cold Storage Company’s premises in Harare. Interested farmers were asked to pay a US$36 joining fee, US$5 for an Agritex stamp and US$342 for insurance. Documents at hand show that the company has over 7 022 members, 3 500 of whom received maize seed and fertilisers worth US$389 741 between September 9, 2014 and December 2, 2014.
About 3 300 farmers are due to receive their inputs and hope to receive them on Thursday.
The scheme is targeting 800 000 farmers over five years.
On July 10, 2014 Secretary for Agriculture Mr Ringson Chitsiko wrote to Lasch Investment saying: “The ministry submits that the scheme’s structure as proposed is self-regulating and secured unlike similar schemes implemented before.”
Then Zanu-PF secretary for land reform and resettlement Cde Ignatius Chombo also endorsed the programme, writing on May 9, 2014: “The Food Security and Nutrition Cluster (of Zim-Asset), where you are directing the efforts of our youths clearly demonstrates the architecture of our agro-based economy, which if properly designed at its initial planning stages will see our country regaining its status as the bread basket of Southern Africa.”
