Fake O'Level certificate syndicate busted by CID in Rusape

THE Criminal Investigations Department in Rusape have busted a syndicate that for the past 16 years has been producing fake Ordinary Level certificates for candidates who would have failed their exams.

Producing fake certificates is in contravention of the Zimbabwe School Examination Council Act.

So far two culprits – Peace Muzite (23), of House Number NE 426, Vengere, Township, Rusape and Maxwell Nyakwima, of Nyakwima Village, under Chief Makoni’s area – have been arrest in an ongoing crackdown targeting the architects and their clients.

The two were arrested last month on allegations of violating Section 35 (e) of the Zimsec Act, Chapter 25:18 which make presentation of a forged or fake document to a prospective employer or institution a criminal offence. 

Mutize and Nyakwima were last week convicted by Rusape magistrate, Ms Elizabeth Hanzi, on their own plea of guilty. The pair was however, fined $200 each or alternatively 30 days in jail.

Mr Tafara Chawatama prosecuted.

On February 10, a CID dragnet squad allegedly picked information that Peace Mutize had applied for a job at N Richards Wholesalers, Metro Peech and Browne Wholesalers and Tree Hills Private College in Rusape using a fake O-Level result slip with Maths (B) and Science (B).

“Inquires by CID from Zimsec before approaching the accused person to establish whether she had set for the November 2014 examinations as shown on candidate Number 988478A1098, showed that she had not and the said candidate number does not exist.

“On April 3, 2016, detectives lured the accused to attend an interview at N Richards Wholesalers with a condition to bring her academic results certificates and arrested her upon the production of the fake result slip with B symbols in Maths and Integrated Science,” Mr Chawatama told the court.

Ms Hanzi convicted and fined Muzite $200, failure of which she will be jailed for 30 days.

On April 19, the same team again picked information that Nyakwima was also holding a fake O-Level slip of June 1999, candidate Number 020700/016 with symbol C in Maths.

He has been using the fake result slip to land temporary teaching posts between 1999 and 2012 when he eventually enrolled at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic.

“On that day, the investigating team pretended to be officials from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on a recruitment drive of temporary teachers and asked him to bring his educational qualifications and among them was a fake result slip of 1999 with Maths (C),” said Mr Chawatama.

Nyakwima was fined $200 or 30 days in jail.

A police source privy to the matter told The Manica Post that they have a list of people who are holding fake O-Level certificates.

“We will arrest a lot of people, more importantly those behind the production of these fake certificates as well as those who have been supplied with them obviously for a fee after failing their O-Levels.” said the police source.

Source-Manica Post