By A Correspondent- Destiny Achievers College in Harare has been implicated in a shocking fake examination scandal after allegedly making 16 candidates sit for a counterfeit June 2024 Cambridge Ordinary Level exam, defrauding them of over US$11,000 in examination fees.
This revelation follows earlier reports that the school had embezzled examination fees meant for the November 2023 Cambridge sitting, leaving students stranded and compromising their entire academic year.
The affected learners, who were due to enrol in Lower Sixth this year, now face an uncertain academic future.
Repeated attempts to contact the college’s proprietor, Cynthia Gambiza, since early this week have been unsuccessful, with her mobile phone going unanswered. The school premises have reportedly been deserted.
Parents and guardians, some of whom paid as much as US$650 per term, were charged between US$600 and US$1,000in examination fees—funds that have now vanished.
After allegedly misappropriating the fees for the legitimate November Cambridge exams, the school had promised parents and learners that the students would instead write the exams in June 2024.
However, the so-called June exam turned out to be a sham. Learners reportedly sat for a Mathematics paper identical to a past paper they had used for revision. The only alteration was the date on the cover page.
It also emerged that the school rented a private venue to conduct the fake exams and told parents they had partnered with a Cambridge-registered centre.
“As for me, I visited the school on Thursday, but there was no staff. Then today, I went to ZDECO College, the alleged institution where our children wrote the exams, and met the deputy principal, Mr Madzimure. He said they don’t have a Cambridge centre, but confirmed that a lady came looking for a place to conduct mock exams and they leased a class to her. He had no idea it was a scam,” said Mr Piniel Nzvenga, in a message shared in a WhatsApp group for parents of the affected students.
Nzvenga added that students immediately suspected something was amiss.
“So, they went to sit for Mathematics, and surprisingly, the paper they were revising was the one that actually came on the day of the exam.”
According to Nzvenga, there were no official Cambridge invigilators present, which raised further red flags. When students alerted their teachers, they were told feedback would come from the school principal—who has since gone incommunicado.
“I paid US$800 for the exam fee. I have since reported the matter at Borrowdale Police Station, and they said they are investigating. What I want is justice—my child has been seriously disadvantaged,” he said.
Another parent, whose son Clayton Nyamagodo reportedly led the student protest after detecting the fraud, said he paid US$900 for eight subjects and US$100 in centre fees.
“I reported the incident at Borrowdale Police under case number RRB 6368544. They told me another case concerning the same issue had already been reported, and investigations are ongoing,” the parent said.
He confirmed that parents had also approached the Ministry of Education.
“We were instructed to write a brief report of what transpired, and they promised to assist. But up to now, there has been no response. Time is flying, and our children are just sitting at home doing nothing.”
Yet another parent revealed that Dr Gambiza had personally persuaded him to delay his child’s November exam to June 2024.
“My child was due to take the exam in November 2024, but Dr Gambiza convinced me to move it to June, saying the child needed more time to prepare in two subjects and that this would help him pass in one sitting. I wasn’t planning to delay, but I believed her.”
He too reported the case to Borrowdale Police and found that several other families had already lodged complaints.
“All I want is government support to ensure this matter is dealt with. We’ve done our part by reporting to the police. The school must also refund our money. It’s not easy to raise US$800 only to have it disappear without serving its intended purpose.”
— Herald