SILAS NKALA STAFF REPORTER The national co-ordinator of the Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ), Enock Paradzayi, was arrested yesterday after he allegedly attempted to block the acting headmaster of Sijawugwe Secondary School from signing a warned-and-cautioned statement in connection with the alleged theft of 13 Ordinary Level examination papers.
Report by Silas Nkala, Staff Reporter
Paradzayi’s lawyer Matshobana Ncube confirmed his client’s arrest and subsequent detention at Western Commonage Police Station in Bulawayo.
The PTUZ official was charged with allegedly obstructing the course of justice after he attempted to block Panganai Zimhuno, who was arrested on Wednesday over the missing “O”Level examination papers, from signing a warned-and-cautioned statement in the absence of a lawyer.
“Yes, Paradzayi has been arrested and is detained at the Western Commonage Police Station. He is accused of obstructing the course of justice. Indications by police are that he will appear at the Western Commonage Courts tomorrow (today),” Ncube said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo were fruitless as he was said to be out of office attending a Joint Monitoring and Implementation Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, Zimhuno failed to appear in court on charges of theft of examination papers after area prosecutor Danny Ndebele declined to prosecute the case, saying there was no clear evidence of theft. Ncube, who also represented Zimhuno, confirmed the development. Zimhuno mysteriously lost examination papers for six “O” Level subjects after he loaded them on a trailer of a Bubi-bound commuter omnibus over the weekend.
The Zimbabwe Schools Examinations Council has since withdrawn the affected papers countrywide following the incident with a view to setting new papers for the affected subjects.
