adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
ACTING head at Chimedza Primary School in Gutu will spend four years behind bars for defrauding the institution of $7,477 through forging signatures of members of the School Development Committee.Energy Mabhedhla, 44, pleaded not guilty when he appeared before Gutu resident magistrate Nyasha Vhitorini on Wednesday and but was convicted on 51 counts of fraud due to overwhelming evidence.
Mabhedhla was sentenced to 10 and half months on counts one to nine and on count 10 to 51 he was slapped with a 36-month jail term which were suspended on condition he restitutes the school all the money before December 31.
The other six months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. Prosecuting, Agatha Gabriel said from January,1, 2011 to October 12, 2012 Mabhedhla has been forging signatures of members of the SDC and withdrawing and under-banking school funds.
He forged signatures of SDC chairperson, Gabriel Mahachi and vice chairperson, Pesano Gwijingwi and withdrew $724 from the school’s ZB Bank account and converted the money into his own use.
He would use the same modus operandi from time to time until the amount accumulated to $7,477. The court heard that the fraud was uncovered following an audit on the school books which revealed that the acting head was withdrawing and sometimes under banking the school funds and converting the money into personal use.
The court further heard that Mabhedhla, at one time, collected $10,744 paid by parents as school fees intending to deposit it.
He, however, deposited only $7,019 into the school account and pocketed $3,725.
An investigation was instituted after which it was discovered that Mabhedhla was converting school funds into own use. A report was made to the police leading to Mabhedhla’s arrest.
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