Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku [email protected]
A Lupane State University (LSU) student accused of attempting to bribe a lecturer to secure a pass in a module she had allegedly failed has been acquitted after a Bulawayo court ruled that the complainant’s conduct undermined the prosecution’s case.
Sibonokuhle Khumalo appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mr Taurai Manuwere facing a bribery charge. However, the court found her not guilty, citing the lecturer’s failure to promptly report the alleged offence.
In his ruling, Mr Manuwere questioned why the complainant, lecturer Ms Bekezela Chirisa, neither reported the alleged bribery attempt to the police or university authorities immediately nor returned the money after receiving it.
“The complainant did not act properly. After receiving the EcoCash money, she never reported the matter to the police or university authorities.
“If the accused sent the money to the complainant, why did she not return it? The student is the one who first reported the lecturer for demanding a bribe to mark her examination. The lecturer was investigated by the university authorities and only made a counter-report nine months later,” said Mr Manuwere.
The magistrate also noted that Ms Chirisa had previously marked one of Khumalo’s modules, which the student failed. However, when the same script was re-marked by another lecturer, the student passed.
Khumalo was represented by Mr Simbarashe Innocent Madzivire of Mashayamombe Law Firm.
Prosecutor Ms Veronica Danai Manyuka alleged that the student initially offered the lecturer US$20 in cash while in her office, telling her to buy lunch.
The lecturer allegedly declined the offer. The court heard that Khumalo then transferred US$30 via EcoCash to the lecturer’s mobile money account.
“The lecturer asked the accused why she had sent the money, but she did not respond. Before making the transfer, she had sent the lecturer a WhatsApp message saying she had no choice and was pleading her case,” said the prosecutor.
The court heard that the lecturer instructed the student to return the following day to collect the money, a meeting witnessed by one of the lecturer’s colleagues.
According to the prosecution, when the examination results were released, Khumalo had failed one of her modules. Although a supplementary examination was scheduled for all unsuccessful candidates, she allegedly failed to sit for it on 19 August 2025.
Instead, the State alleged, she approached the department chairperson seeking permission to write a separate examination outside the normal procedures.
“The accused approached the chairperson and requested what amounted to an unauthorised rewrite. The chairperson agreed and instructed the lecturer to set the examination. However, the lecturer refused and, following a series of administrative disputes, reported the matter to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest,” said Ms Manyuka.
