HARARE
–
Former
Mashonaland
West
Minister
of
State
Reuben
Marumahoko
has
been
arrested
on
allegations
of
defrauding
Agricultural
Rural
Development
Authority
(ARDA)
US$37,950
worth
of
farming
inputs.
In
a
statement,
Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption
Commission
(ZACC)
said
the
Zanu
PF
top
official
allegedly
applied
for
inputs
under
the
Agricultural
and
Rural
Development
Authority
(ARDA)
commercial
farmers’
joint
venture
programme
claiming
to
have
the
capacity
to
plant
200
hectares
of
maize
crop
on
irrigated
land.
It
is
the
State’s
case
that
as
a
result
of
the
misrepresentation,
the
former
minister
was
given
2.5
metric
tonnes
of
maize
seed,
1,300
bags
of
Compound
D
fertiliser
and
chemicals.
It
is
further
alleged
that
after
receiving
the
inputs,
Marumahoko,
who
has
also
served
as
Foreign
Affairs
Deputy
Minister,
planted
46
hectares
of
maize
crop
instead
of
200
and
disposed
of
the
remaining
inputs,
resulting
in
ARDA
suffering
prejudice
of
US$37,950.
His
wife,
Andy
Maririmba,
is
on
remand
over
a
similar
offence,
following
her
arrest
and
court
appearance
on
9
November
2024.
The
former
minister
was
set
to
appear
at
the
Chinhoyi
Magistrates’
Court
this
Tuesday,
12
November
2024.