By Loyd Matare
Harare – Takudzwa Dzumbunu, Harare City’s chairperson of Works and Urban planning committee, has been fined US$300 for perjury related to her academic qualifications.
Last October, Dzumbunu appeared before a Commission of Inquiry investigating the operations of Harare City Council. During her testimony, she falsely claimed to hold a Bachelor of Science Honors degree in Public Administration from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ).
She initially promised to present her degree certificates but later claimed they were with her mother.
However, on Tuesday when pressed further, Dzumbunu admitted that she had never completed her degree program.
“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,” explained Dzumbunu.
Dzumbunu went on to say: “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 chairs the Commission, imposed the fine or an alternative six-month prison sentence, suspended for five years, on the condition that Dzumbunu refrains from similar offences.
Justice Cheda emphasized that the penalty was not only a punishment but also a deterrent to others who might consider falsifying evidence, especially in proceedings concerning public interest.
“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.
Justice Cheda stressed that the Commission was established by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to uncover the truth about Harare City Council’s operations and that Dzumbunu’s 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.
“This sentence is designed to teach you a lesson.
“It is not a caution. It is a conviction and a sentence that you will carry with you for a long time,” ruled Cheda.
Prior to her conviction, Dzumbunu was detained by the Commission for her “evasive” behavior and “arrogant demeanor.”
Evidence leader Thabani Mpofu described her conduct as “highly disrespectful and contemptuous.”
