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Fungai Lupande Court Reporter
A Domboramwari High School receptionist was yesterday jailed for a year for altering amounts on school fees receipts, stealing over $6 000. Caroline Mahere (31) of number 157 St Patricks Hatfield in Harare pleaded guilty to fraud charges and blamed evil spirits, which she said led her to steal the money.

Harare magistrate Ms Nomsa Sabarauta sentenced Mahere to three years in jail, but suspended one year for five years on condition of good behaviour.

Furthermore another year was suspended on condition that she restitutes the school of $6 736.

She will serve one year effective. In passing sentence Ms Sabarauta said Mahere’s behaviour was aggravated by the fact that she stole from parents who were struggling to raise school fees.

“She was entrusted by the school and instead of remitting the money she decided to steal.

“She deprived the school children of education since they were turned away yet they had paid up their school fees,” she said.

The prosecutor Ms Shambadzeni Fungura told the court that before the discovery of the offence the school received numerous complaints from parents that the school was issuing letters of arrears yet their children had fully paid up school fees.

The school advised the parents to bring the original receipts to clarify the issue. On December 15 last year one of the parents came with a receipt showing $118 school fees for her child.

The school bursar checked with the duplicate receipt and discovered that the amount on the duplicate was only $8. She informed the headmistress Mrs Ncube who then instructed the school treasurer Mr David Musokeri to investigate.

Mr Musokeri discovered that Mahere had started under receipting school fees paid since October that year. She prejudiced the school of $6 736 and nothing was recovered.