Harare – A suspected examination paper leak has ensnared approximately 900 candidates preparing for the Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council (Zimsec) Ordinary and Advanced Level examinations scheduled for June this year.
The scandal has led to the arrest of Tadiwanashe Frank Chiminya, a 23-year-old polytechnic student from Kwekwe, who appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Courts yesterday facing fraud charges.
Chiminya was arraigned before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo, who remanded him in custody to April 17, pending a bail ruling. Zimsec is the complainant in the matter.
According to prosecutor Nomsa Kangara, Chiminya allegedly created a WhatsApp group titled “June 2025 Zimsec Group and Exam Papers” in November last year. Within this group, he allegedly falsely claimed to possess leaked Ordinary and Advanced Level examination papers, which he intended to sell.
It is alleged that some members of the group paid for these purported papers via mobile money transfers to Chiminya, using an account registered under the name Admire Magaya.
Zimsec officials, acting on a tip-off, infiltrated the group using a provided link. Upon gaining access, they discovered communications that allegedly damaged the council’s reputation and promptly reported the matter to the police.
Chiminya was apprehended at his residence in Mbizo, Kwekwe, on April 12. During the arrest, police recovered an iPhone handset containing two Econet lines implicated in the alleged fraud, as well as a Tecno Spark 9 with a mobile line. The WhatsApp group in question was also found during the search.
Kangara argued in court that Chiminya’s actions had severely undermined Zimsec’s reputation and the integrity of its examination processes. She opposed his application for bail, citing the seriousness of the offence and the potential risk of him interfering with ongoing investigations.
Detective Constable Inspector Sizinkosi Ncube revealed that Zimsec had halted the printing of the June examination papers to allow police to thoroughly investigate the possibility of Chiminya having an inside source within the examination board.
The court heard that Chiminya could abscond court if granted bail since he was facing a serious offence.
Ncube said the police faced difficulties in their investigation as Chiminya was not co-operating, leading to the investigators spending six hours asking him to unlock his phone. He revealed that Zimsec was also trying to unearth the source of the examination papers, fearing that the culprit would leak them ahead of the writing dates.
The State indicated that Chiminya could interfere with witnesses if granted bail.
This latest incident underscores the ongoing challenges Zimbabwe faces in safeguarding the integrity of its examination system. In response to growing concerns over examination leakages and fraudulent practices, the Cabinet has approved the Zimbabwe School Examination Council Act [Chapter 28:18] (Amendment Bill, 2024).
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Torerai Moyo, has issued a stern warning that those caught leaking examination papers or impersonating candidates will face severe consequences, including lengthy jail sentences.
“To address this mischief explains why we had to come up with this bill and how we are going to deal decisively with this mischief, according to Section 141 of the Constitution, the general public will decide on the penalties as they make submissions to the bill, but what we are proffering as a solution is imprisonment to the culprits practicing this malpractice,” said Moyo.
Moyo indicated that the proposed penalties could be substantial. “In my view, we are likely to come up with penalties for leaking one paper, one might be imprisoned for a period that exceeds 9 years, so that it becomes a deterrent measure to those who may want to practice that criminal act,” he stated. He also warned that “Another malpractice is impersonation, where somebody would masquerade as a bona fide candidate writing an examination for another person. Those caught will also face the same music to go to jail.”
Moyo further cautioned that examination centres found to be complicit in malpractices would face deregistration.
The approval of the ZIMSEC Amendment Bill follows a historic milestone for Zimbabwe’s education system. The 2024 Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) Grade 7, Ordinary, and Advanced Level examinations were conducted without any incidents of paper leakages. This achievement stands in stark contrast to the recurring scandals of previous years.
Education stakeholders, including Zimsec, the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph), and the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash), have hailed the development as a testament to enhanced governance, improved security, and collaborative efforts among schools and examination authorities.
However, the road to this achievement has been paved with numerous challenges. Over the years, Zimbabwe’s examination system has been plagued by controversies that undermined its credibility.
A Timeline of Examination Scandals:
- 2017: Massive O-Level Paper Leak: Ordinary Level Mathematics and English examination papers were leaked and widely circulated on social media. The scandal implicated school officials and invigilators, forcing Zimsec to reschedule examinations for thousands of candidates.
- 2019: Arrests Over Advanced Level Cheating: Several individuals, including teachers and students, were arrested for leaking Advanced Level Biology and Chemistry papers. The incident led to public outcry over Zimsec’s failure to secure examination materials.
- 2020: Pandemic-Year Paper Fraud: The disruption caused by COVID-19 saw an increase in reported examination irregularities. Teachers and administrators at multiple schools were caught selling examination papers to desperate students and parents.
- 2021: Invigilators Implicated: Grade 7 Mathematics and English papers were leaked, resulting in the arrest of invigilators and headmasters. The scandal raised questions about internal security measures at examination centres.
- 2022: Advanced Level Exam Rewrite: After several Advanced Level exam papers were leaked, Zimsec was forced to order a rewrite for thousands of candidates, sparking protests and logistical chaos. The credibility of Zimbabwe’s examination system was heavily criticised both domestically and internationally.
In 2022, teachers’ unions attributed the ZIMSEC examination leakages to “structural and ethical decay.” The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) pointed to a “rotten education system and poor remuneration” as major contributors to the problem. ARTUZ president, Obert Masaraure, lambasted the education system and government for contributing to the leaks, stating, “The ZIMSEC exam papers scandal is a reflection of the structural and ethical decay developing in our education system as a result of bad salaries and leadership in both government and the education sector. Bad salaries breed desperate workers, who then resort to corruption as a way to survive.”
Progressive Teachers Union (PTUZ) president, Takavafira Zhou, echoed these sentiments, stating that the ZIMSEC board was no longer credible to run examinations. “Credibility of the ZIMSEC board is now in tatters. There is a clear lack of professionalism. We want all children to write examinations which haven’t been leaked so that we measure their real potential,” said Zhou.
Related
