By UK Correspondent
For some 2,000 plus investors (or gamblers?) spread across countries like Australia, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and other Diaspora locations as well as Zimbabwe, November 1, 2022 has never been this far away; nor the wait for it more excruciating.
Some years back, an organisation calling itself African Business Women Association (ABWA) Zimbabwe, and led by one Dr Shamiso Fred, presented the following poultry and dairy farming investment opportunities;
- Invest US$1036 in one Batch 100 chickens and receive US$250 per month for 22 months
- Invest US$2000 in one dairy cow and receive US$450 per month for 48months
- Membership fee US$39.
With 2,000 members joining the scheme, and assuming they all subscribed for the poultry scheme, it means that, at a minimum, ABWA Zimbabwe had some US$2 million funds under management.
However, the organisation would require to raise US$500,000 every month in payments to investors.
For the thousands who joined the scheme, it was an opportunity too good to pass but, today, most are asking themselves whether it was, actually, too good to be true.
The monthly payments had continued without incident for some time until they suddenly stopped in August this year.
Just a month earlier an agriculture ministry official Tendai Marecha had represented Permanent Secretary John Basera at the launch of what was described as the scheme’s first dairy processing plant, giving the scheme an…
