Online Reporter
Zvikomborero Parafini
DESTINY Achievers Academy was yesterday placed on remand in a case in which it is being accused of defrauding students into paying Cambridge fees knowing that they were not registered with the international examination board.
The owner of the school, Cynthia Gambiza, who had already appeared in court in her own capacity, appeared representing her school, which is now being charged as the second accused.
Gambiza is facing seven fraud charges.
The first complainant is Rachel Manhenga of Unit O, Chitungwiza.
The court heard that in 2021, Manhenga enrolled her child at Destiny Achievers after she had been made to believe that the school was registered with Cambridge.
She got to know about the school through social media.
Manhenga’s daughter was at the school from Form One up to Form Four.
Manhenga went to the school on May 9 last year and paid US$700 for the October-November 2024 Cambridge examinations.
She was given receipts as proof of payment.
On September 26, she received a WhatsApp message from Gambiza advising her that her daughter wasn’t going to sit for exams as she wasn’t registered.
Gambiza allegedly indicated that Manhenga’s daughter was not registered since she did not attach her national identity document on the registration application forms.
Manhenga had submitted all the required documents in respect of her child.
Manhenga went to the school and nothing fruitfull came out.
She then found out that Destiny Achievers College was not a registered Cambridge examination centre but, instead, Gambiza had registered students through Personal Tuition Centre, which is situated in Borrowdale.
Manhenga made efforts to claim her money but Gambiza became evasive.
Nothing was recovered.
Using the same modus operandi, Gambiza allegedly duped Ruramai Ndudzo who had enrolled two of her children at the school in 2021 and paid US$1200 as exams fees for them to write Cambridge exams last year.
She was advised that her children weren’t registered and later learnt that the school wasn’t registered with the Cambridge Examination Board.
Gambiza allegedly duped five other parents of a combined US$3500 in examination fees.
Takudzwa Mutyavaviri appeared for the State.
