Exam cheat fined $20

Court Reporter
A 17-year-old boy was last week fined US$20 by a Harare magistrate after he was convicted of impersonation and contravening a section of the Zimbabwe School Examinations Council Act. Tinotenda Nhira pleaded guilty before Mr Tendai Mahwe to charges of impersonating Tinotenda Chirara with the intention of writing an O-Level Mathematics exam on his behalf.

Nhira said he had intended to write the examination for his friend, who had previously sat for the subject and failed.

He said his friend would have helped him to get a scholarship.

In passing his verdict, Mr Mahwe noted that Nhira was a first offender and a juvenile who had pleaded guilty and did not waste the court’s time. “You are a first offender and you showed contrition by pleading guilty and also because you are a juvenile, a non-custodial sentence is appropriate,” he said.

The prosecutor, Ms Fransica Mukumbiri, alleged that on October 27 at Churchill Boys High, Nhira presented himself as Chirara and entered into the examination room where a Mathematics paper was to be written.

Nhira, who was in possession of a statement of entry and candidate number for Chirara, sat for the exam.

The court heard that during the exam, when Nhira was approached by an invigilator who was marking the register he produced the statement of entry with Chirara’s name.

The invigilator asked Nhira if he was related to the vice headboy, who is Chirara and Nhira indicated that they were related.

However, the invigilator got suspicious and alerted school authorities, who then confirmed that Nhira had presented himself as Chirara.

A report was made to Zimsec and the police, leading to Nhira’s arrest.