Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
A teacher at a secondary school in Masvingo could have pocketed thousands of dollars after he unlawfully accessed five Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) question papers, prepared answer sheets and sold them to various candidates via the WhatsApp platform for $50 and $100 across the country, acourt heard. Maurice Chiturumani (41) appeared before magistrate Ms Barbra Mateko last week facing two charges of contravening the Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council Act and criminal abuse of duty as a public officer.

He was remanded to November 30 on $100 bail coupled with stringent conditions. Chiturumani teaches Mathematics, Science and Geography at Budiriro Secondary School in Masvingo. It is the State’s case that the accused unlawfully opened Mathematics Papers 1-2, English Papers 1-2 and Integrated Science Paper 1 before resealing the Zimsec packaging with glue after compiling answer sheets. During the 2017 Zimsec “O” Level examination period, Chiturumani was part of the school team which would collect examination question papers from a cluster station located at Gwindingwe Secondary School at Nyika Growth Point.

It is the State’s case that since question papers were collected a day before the exams, Chiturumani hatched a plan to unlawfully access the examination papers just after collection. The prosecutor, Ms Francesca Mukumbiri, alleged that on October 16, Chiturumani opened the Mathematics Paper 1 question paper and compiled an answer sheet. He took photographs of the answer sheet using his mobile phone and started selling it to various candidates across the country for $100 via WhatsApp.

He then resealed the Zimsec packaging using glue in a bid to conceal the crime. It is further alleged that Chiturumani also accessed Science and English question papers. The court heard that he sold the answer sheets for $50 and $100 respectively via the social media platform to various “O” Level candidates. One Samson Phiri paid Chiturumani $250 for all the five examination answer sheets. According to the State papers, Chiturumani received EcoCash payments through his wife and his own mobile phone. Chiturumani’s answer sheets were recovered from various candidates in Harare, Mutare, Murehwa, Chitungwiza, Norton, Masvingo and Kamativi. A raid of Chiturumani’s house led to the recovery of some of Zimsec’s plastic packaging which had been tampered with, it is alleged.

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