'O' Level exam cheat ordered to perform 140 hours unpaid work

A CHINHOYI 2 High School Form Four learner, who was busted with an answer template to a Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (ZIMSEC) Combined Science paper last year, has been sentenced to community service.

Edmore Makuwerere (18) of Hunyani suburb, Chinhoyi pleaded guilty.

He was initially slapped with four months' imprisonment when he appeared before Chinhoyi Magistrate Batanai Madzingira.

The court, however, commuted the jail sentence to 140 hours of unpaid labour at the new Chinhoyi Court Complex.

Complainant was the State represented by ZIMSEC regional manager, Canaan Katekwe.

The State case, led by Clever Nyapfani, was that on October 24, 2022, Makuwerere, who was candidate number 3374, entered the exam room at Chinhoyi 2 High School and sat for the Combined Science Paper 2 Theory (4003/2) final examination for 2022, which started at 9am.

Court heard that a few minutes into the test, invigilator Cloud Marunga inspected the accused person's statement of entry and discovered that there were answers written at the back.

The said answers were corresponding to the ZIMSEC Combined Science Paper 2 exam questions, which Makuwerere was sitting for.

This led to accused person's arrest for having had unauthorised access to examination material as defined in section 35 (a) of the ZIMSEC Act 1994.

The statement of entry was produced in court as evidence.