TellZim reporter
Authorities at Catholic- run Gokomere CPS and High schools were on Thursday granted bail when they appeared at Masvingo Magistrates Court for embezzling schools funds.
Gokomere High head Acquanos Mazhunga (56), deputy head Cephas Vhurumuku, Priest-in- charge John Magadzire (40), CPS head Mhangarai Celestino Masakadza (50) and Alex Mawaya (52) stand accused of theft of trust property.
They were granted ZW$ 10 000 each by Masvingo Magistrate Patience Madondo and remanded out of custody to October 28, 2021.
Madondo also ordered the accused persons to reside at given addresses, not to interfere with state witnesses and surrender their travel documents.
The complainant is Masvingo District Schools Inspector (DSI) Ishmael Chigaba who made a report after Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) received complaints about abuse of funds on May 27, 2021 from parents who have children at the two schools.
An audit carried earlier in May this year unearthed massive corrupt dealings of unsupported payments transacted through ZB bank debt card with no payment vouchers, invoices or receipts amounting to ZW$ 1 477 373.
The audit also revealed that the school’s fourth account held at Standard Chartered bank (01002680031401) in the name of John Magadzire received ZW$ 1 722 697 in levies but a total of ZW$ 1 456 064 was spent on non-school related transactions.
The schools authorities are alleged to have siphoned a total of ZW$ 2 933 437 from January 01, 2020 up to May 31, 2021.
Allegations are that they would instruct the school bursar to transfer money from the main ZB bank account into the debt accounts they had opened as they were the only signatories in the absence of the SDC.
The trio of Mazhunga, Vhurumuku and Magadzire also did not elect a School Development Committee (SDC) thereby violating Statutory Instrument 87 of 1992 Section 8(1) that requires the election of SDCs by parents at every Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The last five SDC members to run the affairs were elected in 2018 but three of them ceased to be members since their children are no longer enrolled at the school.
The quintet were represented by Advocate Collen Maboke while Janeth Muvavi represented the state.
