adminMidlands Correspondent
A HEADMISTRESS at Njeremoto Secondary School in Sesombe Resettlement area in Zhombe, Kwekwe rural and five teachers from different schools in Kwekwe urban and Gweru, yesterday appeared in court facing charges of leaking two Ordinary Level examination papers.
The headmistress, Vimbai Manaka (39), suspected to be the source of the leak, was charged with Criminal Abuse of Office while her accomplices, Bonaventure Mungwiro (42), a teacher at Manunure High in Kwekwe, his brother Berbnadino (40), a teacher at Munyati High in Kwekwe, William Gondo, director of W Boom Private College in Gweru, Michael Chiridzo (40), and Lloyd Mpofu who are both teachers at Chiridzo Private College in Mbizo, Kwekwe were all charged with contravening a section of the Zimsec Act.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The six accused were represented by three lawyers when they appeared before magistrate, Ms Sithembiso Ncube.
Manaka was denied bail and was remanded in custody to tomorrow while her five accomplices were remanded out of custody on $100 bail each.
The leaked papers are Geography Paper Two and Integrated Science Paper Two.
Candidates have since sat for the two papers with the Integrated Science Paper Two being the last of the two to be written on Monday.
A number of schools are likely to be affected in the event that Zimsec orders a re-setting and re-writing of the two question papers.
In granting bail to Kutama, Ms Ncube noted complaints raised by accused’s lawyer, Mr Valentine Mutatu of Mutatu and Partners that his client was severely assaulted by the police during investigations and needed urgent medical examination.
Kutama had a visibly swollen face and eye as a result of the assault that he allegedly suffered at the hands of the police.
For the State, Ms Helen Khosa told the court that on 3 November 2013, Manaka in her capacity as the headmistress of Njeremoto Secondary received O-Level Geography and Integrated Science Papers Two and locked them in a school safe which was kept at her homestead.
The court heard that between 3 and 11 November, Manaka opened the two papers and copied the questions on plain papers using long hand before she attempted to re-seal the original question papers.
Ms Khosa said Manaka proceeded to sell copies of the hand written questions to Mpofu at Chiridzo Private College who in turn went on to sell the papers to the other four co-accused.
The court heard that on 16 November, police received a tip-off from members of the public to the effect that Gondo had two leaked papers in his vehicle.
The police raided the vehicle and recovered the two copies of the leaked papers.
Ms Khosa said when police arrested Manaka, the suspected source of the leaked papers, they also discovered that the envelop of the original Integrated Science Paper Two had been opened.
This was despite the fact that the paper was yet to be sat for.
The examination questions on the Geography Paper Two and Integrated Science Paper Two were exactly similar to the copied long written questions.
Online Reporter