School head loses exam papers to robbers

Midlands Bureau
THE Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec)’s lax security system was again exposed after a headmistress in Chirumanzu district was mugged while carrying examination papers to Gweru.
Sources said the headmistress, Mrs Tsvakai Mupapa, was attacked on Tuesday morning along the Masvingo-Harare Highway while waiting for transport to take her to Gweru.

A source said the assailants, a man and a woman, took Mrs Mupapa’s handbag containing $255, a cellphone and another bag containing O-Level papers that had been written on Monday.

“The headmistress took the papers which had been written on Monday to her farm house in Chirumanzu area intending to catch early transport to Gweru on Tuesday morning.

“While at the bus stop, a man and a woman joined her at the bus stop pretending to be waiting for transport. The man suddenly grabbed Mrs Mupapa by the throat and tripped her to the ground. He went on to assault the complainant three times on the head with a stone.

“The male suspect forcibly took Mrs Mupapa’s purse which had $255, a Nokia phone, O-Level answer sheets for a paper that had been written on the previous day on Monday, a school stamp and a pair of shoes. The two immediately fled from the scene,” said the source.

The source said Mrs Mupapa went back home and informed her husband who then made a follow-up.

Mrs Mupapa’s husband, the source said, recovered the stolen goods along a pathway not far away from the bus stop.

“All the things were intact save for $20 which was missing. What is baffling is the idea to steal a small amount of cash, leaving the bulk of it. We suspect the two unknown assailants had an axe to grind with Mrs Mupapa. There is actually more to this matter than meets the eye. I suspect they could have wanted to tamper with the examination papers as a way of fixing Mrs Mupapa for reasons best known to the two,” said the source.

The source said it was against Zimsec regulations for an examiner or anyone to take answer sheets home.

Midlands police spokesperson, Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko confirmed the incident.

He said police in Mvuma received a report of a headmistress who was mugged while carrying examination papers but the matter was still under investigation.

“We can confirm receiving a case of assault involving a female teacher. We are, however, in the process of investigating the full circumstances surrounding the matter,” said Insp Mahoko.