Eaglesvale trio to apply for exception to charges

EAGLESVALE Senior School headmaster, the salaries officer and bursar, accused of embezzling over $800 000 in school funds, yesterday gave notice to except to the charges.

The headmaster Naison Tirivari (60), bursar Charles Shokobishi (57) and salaries officer Cheryl Botha (52) told Harare magistrate Mr Adonia Masawi that Eaglesvale could not be the complainant in the matter because it is run by a trust.

The trio will submit its written application today and the matter was adjourned to April 21 for arguments.

The complainant in the matter is Eaglesvale Senior School’s board vice chairman Mr Willard Gonde.

The prosecutor Mr Timothy Makoni alleged that sometime last year Eaglesvale Senior School’s board members held a meeting to look at the school’s financial records.

It is alleged that inconsistencies in cash-in lieu of leave payments to non-teaching and teaching staff were discovered.

The board instructed the accused in 2013 not to encash leave days.

A forensic audit was carried out and it was established that Botha encashed her leave days in breach of the order.

It was discovered that Botha entered varying amounts on other staff members’ cash-in lieu of leave on payrolls sent for authorisation.

Once the authorisation was obtained from the headmaster, Botha would then alter the electronic payroll to have cash-in lieu of leave allocated to her pay.

Botha allegedly effected payment through her CBZ account 008920804980033.

It is alleged that Botha overstated her bonus from 2011 to 2014 accumulating to $518 007, 58.

The headmaster Tirivari, who doubled as a Mathematics and Thinking Skills teacher, authorised and approved his cash-in lieu of leave days amounting to $135 377, 50.

He also received unapproved termly allowances amounting to $13 366 without the board’s knowledge.

Tirivari allegedly swindled the school of $148 743.

The bursar, Shokobishi, is accused of conniving with Tirivari and received $19 903 for 225 leave days, contrary to his employment contract.

Eaglesvale School lost $873 840, 56 and nothing was recovered.