College owner to file for exception

Source: The Herald – Breaking news.

Prosper Dembedza, Herald Correspondent

The lawyer representing Destiny Achievers College proprietor Cynthia Gambiza has advised the court that he intends to file an application of exception tomorrow.

Gambiza, aged 49, faces seven counts of defrauding Ordinary Level students of their Cambridge examination fees.

The State has committed to submitting its response on the same day, and the court adjourned the matter to February 26 for a ruling.

The alleged fraud commenced in January 2021 when Rachel Munhenga enrolled her daughter, Gaumuchirai Matsenga, at Destiny Achievers College, located in Glen Forest, north of Harare.

Munhenga was misled into believing that the school was a registered examination centre for the UK-based Cambridge examinations, an assertion supported by advertisements on social media and billboards.

Matsenga attended the school from Form One through Form Four, anticipating to sit for her examination last year.

On May 9, 2023, Munhenga paid US$700 for her daughter’s registration for the October-November 2024 Cambridge examinations.

However, on September 26, 2024, Gambiza sent a WhatsApp message informing Munhenga that her daughter would not be sitting for the exams due to non-registration.

Gambiza attributed this to the absence of a national identity document during the registration process.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Gambiza employed similar tactics to defraud other students, raising serious concerns regarding the legitimacy of the school’s operations.