LUPANE —A former finance clerk employed by the Lupane Local Board has been arraigned before the courts facing forgery, fraud and theft charges amounting to more than $12 000.
SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER
Nobuhle Nyathi (35), who appeared in court on Monday, faces 15 counts of fraud, five of theft and two counts of violating the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (Zimsec) Act after she allegedly used fake certificates to secure employment.
It is the state case that Nyathi defrauded the board and Kusile Rural District Council of substantial sums of money, yet to be ascertained, by using a fake Zimsec certificate to secure jobs, and stealing from the local authority’s institutions.
Nyathi was reportedly first employed as a receptionist at Kusile Rural District Council (RDC) on November 11, 2007 after she allegedly applied using the forged Zimsec Ordinary Level certificate.
She was later transferred to the Lupane Local Board where she was employed as a finance clerk on the basis of the fake qualifications. Nyathi pleaded not guilty to all counts when she appeared before Lupane magistrate Aelene Munamati on Monday.
She is out of custody on $100 bail and the case continues today.
Prosecutor Sanders Sibanda told the court that Nyathi on October 17 2007, applied for a job at the Kusile RDC using counterfeit “O” Level certificate as proof of her qualifications.
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On November 11 the same year she got the job and during her tenure at Kusile RDC she was paid $700.
At the Lupane Local Board she was paid $11 733 as finance clerk.
The court also heard that between April 2009 and August 6 2012 and on about 15 occasions she allegedly defrauded the Lupane Local Board of thousands of dollars, which are yet to be ascertained.
She is alleged to have been collecting the money paid for operational licences by local businesses and converting some of it to her own use. It is the State case that she would give the clients some receipts and tear off the carbon copies from the receipts books before allegedly stealing the money.
The forged certificates were discovered after local board employees reported the alleged theft and fraud cases.
