AN exhibitor has withdrawn from participating in the 2024 Zimbabwe Agricultural Show (ZAS) set for Exhibition Park in Harare citing anomalies in the rules of the competition.
In a letter dated August 26, 2024, Zvikomborero Farms accused the chairperson of the livestock division, Crispen Kadiramwando, of breaking the competition laws.
The letter was addressed to ZAS chief executive officer Andrew Matibiri.
“Zvikombonero Farms (Pvt) Ltd are withdrawing from their 2024 small stock entry to the ZAS competition with much disappointment and concern. Our reasons, as already discussed since this morning with Noah Matimba and other livestock section committee members, stem (from) the blatant change of rules to this competition,” Zvikomborero Farms managing director Divine Simbi-Ndhlukula wrote in the letter.
“Your article 9 of the Livestock Entries Booklet states that the breeder of an animal must be the owner of the dam at the time of birth of the animal entered for display. This was further emphasised in the exhibitor’s WhatsApp group that the animals must originate by birth at and from the exhibitor’s farm, hence the inspections that were carried out at our farms by the committee members.”
Added Simbi-Ndhlukula: “We noted that stock presented by one exhibitor is stock that is clearly not bred in Zimbabwe by the purported breeder Crispen Kadiramwando, who also happens to be the chairperson of the livestock section for ZAS.
“We brought to the attention of the adjudication chairperson Noah Matimba, who informed us that he was looking into it. At first, we were told he was no longer competing. At some stage, we were then informed that he was now competing as the animals are his, which he bred in Namibia.”
Simbi-Ndhlukula further alleged that Kadiramwando breeds stock from Namibia and presents them at the competition, which was against the competition rules.
- Econet to exhibit at this year’s Zimbabwe Agricultural Show
- ZESA Holdings scoops top gong at ZAS
- ZAS 2024 preparations in full swing
- Exhibitor pulls out of ZAS 2024 over competition anomalies
Keep Reading
“In that case, if a breeder has breeding stock outside Zimbabwe which obviously was bred and produced in a different environment, there should then be a category for international stock in all fairness,” she said.
The business executive said Kadiramwando was being allowed to get away with these irregularities due to his position as chairperson of the show.
She further stated that last year, he awarded himself the first position when he had nothing to show for it, adding that his entry to the competition was “null and void as he had not even paid the entry fees”.
“Getting into the actual judging itself, it is just pathetic for him to award himself a position of being overall livestock winner with the quality of his animals that were at the show. He even collected prize money that was way ahead of bona fide exhibitors . . .” Simbi-Ndhlukula wrote.
“In our meeting of August 29 (2023) in your office, he categorically stated that our animals were far better than his as he had not planned to enter the show this year.
“How then does it turn out that, out of the blue, he is winning in most classes of the animals he entered? This certainly brings credence to why we stated that he never wanted our animals to be judged with the frustrations he caused in the process, which was eventually corrected when we met up with you.”
She said: “The level of abuse of office is blatant, but again, done in such a moronic manner”.
