Two June exams cheats arrested

Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr +

Herald Reporter

TWO people have been arrested in separate incidents in Bulawayo and Ngundu on allegations of writing Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (zimsec) Ordinary Level examinations on behalf of their colleagues.

Police yesterday said they were still investigating the cases and the suspects were likely to appear in court soon, facing fraud charges.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests yesterday.

On the first incident, police arrested Faith Moyo (30) for writing an English Paper 1 on behalf of Nobesuthu Dube (34), who has since gone into hiding.

“We can confirm that a Bulawayo woman was arrested at Mncumbata Secondary on June 30, 2020 after conniving to write zimsec examinations for a friend. An alert invigilator verified the candidate number and the name leading to the arrest of the suspect,” said Asst-Comm Nyathi.

A manhunt for Dube has since been launched.

In Ngundu, police arrested a 17-year-old boy on allegations of writing an English Paper Two on behalf of Evaristo Majongwe (23) at Ngundu Halt High School.

Asst-Comm Nyathi said the teenager, whose name is still being withheld, was apprehended by an invigilator who alerted the police leading to his arrest on Thursday.

Majongwe has since disappeared.

In June last year, police busted a syndicate behind fake national identification cards (IDs) used by criminals hired to fraudulently sit for zimsec exams on behalf of academically-challenged candidates.

The scam saw the arrest of Kudzai Dzimano (22), believed to have been the kingpin in the production of counterfeit identity documents.

He was arrested in possession of the equipment used in the production of plastic identity cards and other processed fake cards.

Dzimano and his brother Tapiwa, obtained zimsec statements of entry for Ordinary and Advanced Level and personal national cards for prospective candidates who were due to sit for June 2019 zimsec examinations.

They would then produce fake plastic national identity cards and insert the photograph of a person whom they would hire to write the examination on behalf of the candidates.

In November 2016, a Glen Forest Development Centre deputy headmaster conspired with two teachers to have one of them write that year’s O Level Mathematics Paper 2 on behalf of a candidate. Glen Forest Development Centre, trading as Glen Forest Secondary School, is a trust school in Goromonzi District. The deputy headmaster, Thomas Augustine Mabvuregudo (37), mathematics teacher Patrick Kolopa (29), science teacher Stewart Munaka (31) and the candidate, Neville Roia, were sentenced to 210 hours of community service.

The quartet pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime and Harare magistrate Ms Gamuchirai Siwadi sentenced them to a year each in prison. Six months of the sentence was suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.

The remaining six months were suspended on condition they each complete 210 hours of community service.

Kolopa was facing a separate charge of contravening the Zimbabwe School Examinations Act and was sentenced to another 210 hours of community service.

HERALD

Share.