US$60K Corruption Scandal Rocks Blakiston Junior School: Senior Staff, Anti-Graft Officers Implicated

Blakiston Junior School in Milton Park, Harare, is at the centre of a serious corruption investigation involving the alleged embezzlement of nearly US$60,000 over a three-year period, internal audit findings and whistleblower testimony reveal.

A confidential draft report compiled by the School Development Committee (SDC) has exposed significant financial discrepancies and alleged misconduct by the school’s head, Ms Memory Chaikosa, SDC chairperson Mr Ronald Gurure, and former bursar Mr Ronald Mashonganyika.

The trio is accused of participating in systematic fraud, bribery, and gross mismanagement of school funds, with the involvement of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) officials and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education auditors, who allegedly accepted bribes to suppress the investigation.

The report, seen by the herald indicates that between January 2022 and December 2024, the school received US$400,107.50 in revenue, but only US$341,659 was banked.

A total of US$58,448.50 remains unaccounted for, with several withdrawals not supported by receipts, invoices, or delivery notes, in violation of public finance regulations.

In 2022, records show US$7,411 was withdrawn from the school account, yet expenditures recorded reached US$8,665.01, reflecting an unexplained overspend of US$1,254.01.

A year later, US$29,292 was withdrawn, but only US$22,792.30 was accounted for, leaving another US$7,136.70 unaccounted for.

According to auditors, bank reconciliations were not performed regularly, and cash was often kept in the school head’s office instead of being deposited, under the pretext that the safe was insecure due to recent school robberies.

Procurement irregularities were also flagged.

The report cites a case where a vehicle repair job was awarded to one company but paid to another, and a stationery contract was issued after receiving only two quotations, in breach of the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act.

Furthermore, the school’s security provider has operated without a formal contract since 2019.

The report also highlights the unexplained disappearance of 21 tablets purchased for ICT lessons, part of a batch of 35 bought in early 2024.

The missing devices have not been reported to the police, and there is no supporting documentation on the loss.

A written statement submitted by Mr Mashonganyika to the district schools inspector claims he was coerced into bribing auditors and ZACC officers.

He alleges that Ms Chaikosa and Mr Gurure instructed him to hand over various amounts, including US$650 to internal auditors and US$300 to ZACC officers, in exchange for covering up underbanking irregularities.

He said he acted under duress and in fear of losing his job.

“They told me to give US$200 each to the SDC vice chair and treasurer so they wouldn’t expose the scheme,” wrote Mashonganyika.

“Later, I was forced to take US$260 from school banking to pay ZACC officials who were ‘familiarising themselves’ with our system.”

Following a vote of no confidence passed on February 18, Mr Gurure was removed from his position as SDC chairperson.

A letter issued by the acting chairperson accused him of orchestrating bribes to both ZACC officers and internal auditors.

In response, Mr Gurure has denied the allegations and, through his lawyers, has threatened legal action for defamation. In a letter to the acting SDC chairperson, his legal team demanded proof of the claims and warned of a pending lawsuit if evidence was not supplied within 24 hours.

The acting chairperson, through legal representation, responded that Mr Gurure had been lawfully relieved of his duties and that further matters were under investigation by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission.

Northern Central District Schools Inspector Mr Mafudzi Mafukidze confirmed that a team of auditors and investigators had been dispatched to probe the matter.

“We have suspended the head and are currently compiling a full report. The figure under review runs into thousands of dollars,” he said.

Investigations are ongoing. The final report is expected to be submitted in the coming days.