Man in court for forgery

A man from Harare, Benson Ayani (36) of Highlands suburb, appeared in court over the weekend for allegedly using a forged letter from a school headmaster to obtain his children's birth certificates. Ayani is jointly charged with Munashe Fungai (43) of Kuwadzana Extension, who allegedly created the forged document.

They were both charged with forgery and providing false information for registering a child's birth. Harare magistrate Mr. Dennis Mangosi granted them $50 bail each, and they are scheduled to return to court on Thursday for further investigation.

Prosecutor Mr. Takudzwa Jambawu stated that last Thursday, Ayani visited the Market Square office of the Registrar of Births and Deaths at around 9 am to register the births of his son and daughter. He claimed he needed the certificates to transfer them to a new school in Chisipite from Arnoldine Primary School in Headlands.

The officer requested a hard copy letter from the previous school. A few hours later, Ayani presented a hard copy letter, but the officer suspected its authenticity due to the short turnaround time. Upon closer inspection, the officer determined the document was forged. After questioning, Ayani admitted obtaining the document from Fungai, leading to their arrest.