Primary school clerk in jail

Letwin Mubonesi
STEALING $4 900 from a Honde Valley primary school earned a clerk 20 months imprisonment last week. John Chombe (41) of Nyatsuri Village in Honde Valley who was employed as a clerk at Katiyo Primary School appeared before senior Mutare magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiundura facing charges of contravening Section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.
He was convicted on his own plea of guilty.

It was the State’s case led by Mr Donald Mudadirwa that from a period extending from May 27 to July 9, Chombe bought his own receipt book and started recording some of the paid fees in his own receipt book, pocketing the money.
He would enter some of the paid fees in the actual receipt book.

“As a clerk, he was the custodian of the school’s financial books and he abused his office until the day the school authorities conducted an internal audit in which the School Development Committee team discovered anomalies after going through the records,” said Mr Mudadirwa.

Asked why he had committed the offence, Chombe told the court that his salary was meagre as he was paid only $50 per month.
He said he had committed the offence to cater for his family.

“I committed the offence because the salary they were giving me was not enough for my family welfare, Your Worship,” said Chombe.
However, Mrs Chiundura could not buy his story and sentenced him to an effective 20 months imprisonment before ordering him to restitute the amount he owes to Katiyo Primary School within three months.

“Though your salary was meagre you were not supposed to steal from the school because that money was for the school development.
“You robbed parents of their hard earned cash which is bad, therefore I will sentence you to 36 months imprisonment and 10 months will be suspended on condition that you will restitute the school the money you stole,” said Mrs Chiundura.

In an unrelated case, Lazarus Marango is also up in arms with Mashongora School Development Committee which is accusing him of withdrawing $794 from the school bank account and converted it to his own personal use.

Mr Mudadirwa said Marango allegedly withdrew the money from the school’s ZB Bank account without authority from the SDC.
Marango is denying the allegations being levelled against him saying: “Yes, I withdraw the money for use at the school. I never converted it into my personal use as they are claiming.

“They have never checked how the money was used.”
He was ordered to pay $50 bail. He was also ordered not to interfere with witnesses as well report once after every fortnight a nearby police station as part of his bail conditions.

The case was adjourned to August 5 for trial.