adminThe SSB, according to court papers, later reviewed Mwerenga’s salary to match his grade using the fake document.
Mwerenga pleaded guilty to a charge of fraud when he appeared before Gweru provincial magistrate Mr Sithembinkosi Msipa yesterday.
He was sentenced to three years in prison of which one year was suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
The other one year was suspended on condition that he pays $1 063 restitution to the Government.
The remaining one year was suspended on condition that Mwerenga performs 420 hours of community service at Mudavanhu Primary School in Mkoba Village 10.
For the State, Mr Justos Makwena said in October 2009, Mwerenga applied for a job and got employed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Develop-ment at the Midlands provincial office using a national certificate in personnel management.
In April 2010, Mwerenga tendered a counterfeit Higher National Diploma in human resources management to the SSB seeking a review of his salary in accordance to his level of education.
Mr Makwena said the SSB later reviewed Mwerenga’s salary backdating it to April 2010.
A Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Develop-ment internal auditor later discovered Mwerenga’s fake document in his file in April this year during an audit.
The Agriculture Ministry later confirmed with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education that Mwerenga’s certificate was fake.
A report was made to the police leading to his arrest.
Online Reporter