A 48-year-old Harare man has appeared in court after a maize delivery scheme involving fake paperwork allegedly saw 700 tonnes of grain diverted from its intended destination.
Shepherd Tererai appeared at the Harare Magistrates’ Court facing charges related to the theft of trust property.
The complainant, Cyprus Trucking, represented by Wesley Thompson, alleges that Tererai acted with accomplices to divert grain maize that was meant for National Foods Harare.
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The court heard that between November 12 and December 1, 2025, Ndlovu Grains (Private) Limited, a Zimbabwean-registered company, was subcontracted to transport 1,480 tonnes of grain maize from Gauteng Province in South Africa to National Foods Harare.
However, only 21 truckloads were delivered. The remaining 19 truckloads, weighing about 700 tonnes, were allegedly diverted to Grindsberg Investment trading as Oriental (Private) Limited in Harare.
To conceal the diversion, Tererai allegedly generated fake delivery notes indicating that all consignments had been delivered to the National Foods Harare depot.
The scheme came to light in December 2025 when Cyprus Trucking discovered that National Foods had not paid for the 19 missing truckloads.
The stolen maize is valued at approximately US$232,333.48, equivalent to R3.8 million. Nothing has been recovered.
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