Truck driver disappears with presidential spokesman George Charamba’s fertilizer

A truck driver vanished with a truckload of ammonium nitrate fertilizer which was due to be delivered to the Battlefields farm of deputy chief cabinet secretary and presidency spokesman George Charamba, a court heard on Monday.

Prosecutors revealed this as Sithabisile Mpofu, 49, was charged with theft of trust property at the Mbare Magistrates Court.

Mpofu, of Simbi Park in Redcliff, was allegedly contacted by Charamba’s personal assistant Tsitsi Chirwa to source a truck to transport 26 tonnes of fertilizer worth $17,160 from J & J in Mt Hampden, Harare, to the farm near Kwekwe.

The court heard that Mpofu in turn hired truck driver Stewart Sanikwa who picked up the fertilizer on July 11.

Arrangements had been made that Gift Nyamutowa, an employee of the president’s office, would accompany the truck to Battlefields but he was late arriving.

“The truck driver, who is still at large, took advantage of the absence of complainant (Nyamutowa) and drove the truck from the loading point without escort and disappeared with the load,” the National Prosecuting Authority said.

Nyamutowa later drove to the farm but discovered that the fertilizer had not reached its destination and a police report was made.

Prosecutors accuse Mpofu of also supplying false registration details of the truck used to carry the fertilizer.

Mpofu has been remanded in custody.

Crime Watch Zimbabwe