She provided false testimony before the Commission of Inquiry.
Dzumbunu lied that she has a bachelor’s degree during her testimony a few weeks back, only to later admit that she failed a course and did not graduate.
CITY COUNCIL BOSS FINED FOR LYING SHE HAS A DEGREE
Tafara Chibanda
HARARE City Council’s Work and Town Planning chairperson, Councillor Takudzwa Dzumbunu, was yesterday fined US$300 or six months in prison for lying that she has a degree.
She provided false testimony before the Commission of Inquiry.
Dzumbunu lied that she has a bachelor’s degree during her testimony a few weeks back, only to later admit that she failed a course and did not graduate.
During her initial appearance before the Commission, Dzumbunu claimed that she would present her degree certificates and later claimed the documents were with her mother.
However, upon further questioning, Dzumbunu admitted that she failed one course and never completed her degree programme.
“
I thought I was going to get the certificates but I had failed one course and did not graduate,” Dzumbunu said.
“My apologies for misleading the Commission. I thought I was going to get the certificates but it wasn’t going to be possible.”
Dzumbunu was asked to explain why she had lied.
“I have no justification for behaving the way that I did. I thought it was going to be an easy process to acquire my certificate but I should have just said that I haven’t acquired it yet,” she said.
Retired High Court Judge Justice Maphios Cheda, who oversaw the proceedings, emphasised the gravity of the offence.
Justice Cheda said the penalty was not just a punishment but a deterrent to others who might consider falsifying evidence in the future, especially in proceedings designed to address issues of public concern.
“The Commission of Inquiry seeks nothing else but the truth and it relies entirely on the facts. You misled us, and that on its own is punishable,” he said.
He stressed that the Commission was set up by President Mnangagwa to uncover the truth about Harare City Council’s operations and that such conduct undermined its purpose.
“It is embarrassing that you appear today without the relevant qualifications, especially after claiming to have them,” he said.
“You have made misrepresentations, perhaps even to the extent of being employed based on qualifications that you do not have.”
In his ruling, Cheda imposed a sentence of either a fine of US$300 or six months imprisonment, with the prison sentence suspended for five years on the condition that Dzumbunu refrains from committing similar offences in the future.
“This sentence is designed to teach you a lesson,” Cheda stated.
“It is not a caution. It is a conviction and a sentence that you will carry with you for a long time.”
