The owner of Destiny Achievers College, Cynthia Gambiza, is facing allegations of defrauding students out of US$4,000 in Cambridge examination fees across seven separate cases.
Gambiza, 49, appeared before Harare magistrate Lisa Mutendereki last week and was released on bail. The trial date has been set for February 13th, 2025.
The State alleges that the fraud began in January 2021 when Rachel Munhenga enrolled her daughter, Gaumuchirai Matsenga, at Destiny Achievers College in Glen Forest, a suburb north of Harare.
Munhenga was reportedly misled to believe that the school was an accredited examination center for the UK-based Cambridge exams. This accreditation was promoted through social media platforms and billboards, which influenced her decision to enroll her daughter in Form One at the institution.
Matsenga attended the college from Form One to Form Four, with plans to sit for the Cambridge exams in the October-November 2024 session. On May 9, 2023, Ms. Munhenga paid US$700 for her daughter’s exam registration.
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However, on September 26, 2024, Gambiza informed Munhenga via WhatsApp that her daughter had not been registered for the exams. Gambiza attributed this to the absence of a national identity document during the registration process.
Further investigations uncovered that Gambiza used similar tactics to defraud other students, casting doubt on the credibility of the school’s operations.
The case was prosecuted by Anesu Chirenje.