Story by Fungai Jachi
A 29-year-old woman has been convicted and sentenced for her role in a Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) certificate scam, after she fraudulently secured university admission abroad using forged academic qualifications.
Cindy Mutswatiwa was sentenced to 24 months in prison by a Harare Court, with 12 months suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, and the remaining 12 months suspended on condition she performs 420 hours of community service.
According to the court, she had passed only three subjects at O’ Level but worked with accomplices to generate a forged certificate showing seven passes.
The document was then authenticated at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade through fraudulent means, making it appear legitimate.
The forged certificate was used to gain admission to a Ukrainian university, where she had already progressed to the third year of study before the fraud was exposed.
Three co-accused individuals, Molyn Mugodi, 41, who allegedly created the fake certificate, Kundai Mutape, 39, an education consultant who allegedly facilitated the process and Malvern Nengomasha, 32, a diplomatic courier who is alleged to have arranged for its authentication, are also implicated in the wider fraud scheme and face separate charges.
In a separate case, an 18-year-old woman from Chirumanzu was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually abusing a 7-year-old boy.
The court heard that the victim was walking home from school when the offender approached him, took him to a secluded area and sexually abused him.
The victim reported the incident to his aunt, leading to the offender’s arrest and conviction.
