Teaching Jobs Scam Widens As Three More Teachers Come Forward

A 40-year-old teacher recently appeared in court in Mutare on fraud charges after allegedly swindling desperate colleagues by promising them jobs and transfers.

Melline Chirinda is accused of posing as a well-connected insider who could secure teaching posts and transfers to better schools.

She appeared before provincial magistrate Poterai Gwezhira after three more complainants came forward, taking the number of alleged victims to five.

Prosecutor Joice Tinarwo said Chirinda was arrested by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) following claims she took money from unemployed and serving teachers in exchange for influencing recruitment and deployment.

Investigators said what began as two isolated complaints had quickly widened, raising suspicions of a broader recruitment racket. Authorities believe more victims may yet come forward.

The alleged scheme relied on claims that Chirinda could bypass official procedures for a fee.

Court papers show a pattern of victims being asked to pay “facilitation fees” for transfers or employment.

In one case, serving teacher Mercy Chiwara allegedly paid US$300 after being promised a transfer to a school closer to her home. The court heard the two women met through a social savings group.

“Chirinda convinced Chiwara of her capabilities by facilitating the successful transfer of another teacher, thereby creating confidence among potential clients,” said Tinarwo.

“Believing Chirinda had genuine influence within the education system, Chiwara introduced other job-seeking teachers to her.

“Another qualified teacher, Munyaradzi Mwashita, paid US$600 after being promised employment by September 2024.

“Mwashita had to sell a beast to raise the money, before handing it over to Chirinda at Meikles Park in the city. Months later, the promised job had not materialised.

The court also heard that when another complainant, Mwashita, pressed for an update, Chirinda allegedly told her to wait for the next recruitment intake before becoming evasive and eventually cutting off contact.

In a third case, qualified teacher Rudo Moyana allegedly lost US$600 after her family was persuaded that Chirinda had secured her employment through her connections.

Tinarwo said Chirinda dealt with Moyana under the alias “Ms Martin”, requesting personal details and promising deployment within two weeks. No post ever materialised.

All three complainants only came forward after reading newspaper reports of Chirinda’s earlier arrest on similar allegations.

In that earlier case, Chirinda is alleged to have contacted Merciline Gonouya on Facebook, again introducing herself as “Ms Martin”.

“She claimed to have connections in teacher recruitment within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, and offered to assist her to secure employment as a teacher,” said Tinarwo.

“Gonouya expressed interest, and Chirinda indicated that she required US$700 as facilitation fee for the employment opportunity, but Gonouya only paid US$550.”

After taking the money, Chirinda became elusive — ignoring Gonouya’s calls and leaving her messages unread when she asked for updates on the promised job.

Gonouya later discovered on Facebook that “Ms Martin” was in fact Chirinda, and filed a police report.

In a separate case, Chirinda allegedly conned jobseeker Tafadzwa Mutseyangwa out of US$550.

Mutseyangwa turned to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission after Chirinda stopped responding.

More: The Manica Post