THE Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) says it has recorded numerous cases of candidates aspiring for political office being found with forged Grade 12 school certificates.
This follows, among other key requirements by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ), that aspiring candidates for the August 11 general elections must have a full grade 12 certificate inclusive of English.
The institution had since been reporting such cases of forgery to police after identifying owners of the documents.
Scores of people aspiring to contest the August 11 general elections are verifying their grade 12 certificates at the ECZ in Lusaka.
ECZ director Michael Chilala said yesterday that officers were identifying numerous cases of forged certificates from some people during the verification exercise at the service centre in Lusaka.
Dr Chilala said in an interview at his office that the institution was, however, reporting such cases to the police for onward prosecution of the culprits.
“We have been able to identify some forged documents like grade 12 certificates at our service centre during the verification process and such cases are reported to police,” Dr Chilala said.
He said once such cases of forgery were taken to the courts of law, the institution would only be called upon as a witness.
A check at the ECZ service centre yesterday around mid-morning found scores of people busy verifying their grade 12 certificates.
Meanwhile, Dr Chilala has clarified that ECZ did not determine people who should stand on which political party following the verification exercise of the grade 12 certificates.
He said the institution was only engaged by the Electoral Commission of Zambia to help in the verification of the certificates since it was mandated by law to issue such documents.
Dr Chilala was, however, happy that the verification exercise was going on smoothly with overwhelming response from members of the public.
Some parliamentarians have been helping their members in verifying the certificates, thereby making the process running smoothly.
ECZ will soon also launch its 2016-2020 strategic plan which has already been approved by the council.
Dr Chilala said the document would, among other key areas, provide access for people to conduct online verification of certificates.
This will in turn reduce congestion at the ECZ service centre in Lusaka as people will verify documents through an online system.
On decentralisation of ECZ service centres, Dr Chilala said the institution would soon open a centre in Kitwe to cater for Northern, Luapula and North-Western provinces.
My fellow Zambians, you know when a country is run by individuals instead of law, people tend to commit crime and don’t get arrested because an arrest has to be commanded by president or some leader.
We need a law to rule us instead of a president. A president is a servant of the people or an administrator of the nation not ruler. Now ECZ says people have been reported but these candidates are not been arrested? so then what is this? It is not a good sign for a future. That is why we always think that abasungu are more developed than us, yet it is the law that has made abasungu to develop.
I don’t see the need to complain, u can only complain if the cases are being reported to the president. But they are taking the cases to court and the law will take its course. Let us avoid pointing fingers at the president whenever we feel aggrieved over any issue even wen he is not directly involved.
@Big C I hope the C doesn’t mean what I am thinking. You first arrest someone before you take them to court. How can the police take someone to court without first arresting and charging someone. House Fly is on point here. The biggest challenge is the President. The politicians with forged certificates are big names in PF. They cant be arrested because they are in Government. They have the President’s protection. Simple.
I do not think it is the duty of the President to arrest these people. What ECZ has done is the correct thing. Unless you are implying that the President is interfering with the work of the police. There is no evidence that effect. So there is no need to made baseless conclusions and try bring the name of the into unnecessary ridicule.
The best we can do is to call on the police to prosecute these people without bias, whether from the ruling party or opposition. A crime is a crime I agree you with, but bring the name of the President into this matter at this point is very unfair.
Why cant you publicise the forgerers? Is it not a crime to forge a certificate? Or is it because they are important people?
@Asigai: if ECZ have already reported these cases to Police, the Police must make arrests without waiting for the Public asking them to make arrests. If the culprits were in the Opposition, the Police will have quickly moved in to make arrests. If on the other people involved are from the ruling elite, then Police have to get clearance from the Commander-in-Chief to make arrests. Yours is a case of defending the indefensible!
Wrong, Iam not defending anyone because I have not right to defend a wrong. I am saying that it is not correct for your UPND team to conclude that all these forgers are from PF. Do not tell me that everyone in UPND is super clean. This can ever be and will be true. Such kind of puritanism is dangerous because it makes you guys in UPND not to conduct self evaluations and end up going down the drain because of such attitudes.
Is it not proper to discuss a matter without unjust conclusions? Why should you want to show that everyone in PF is bad. There are millions of Zambians supporting PF. Do you tell me that all of them are bad and the only good people are in UPND. The fact is that corruption is everywhere in our society, including in your UPND and its leadership.
I can only agree…
WHO are the 2 grade 9 failures who clicked dislike on this upright and sound comment?
@Assigai: I’m not a UPND cadre and I did not make mention of UPND in my comment. There are more than 30 opposition parties in Zambia why pick on UPND? Just accept that the Elite ruling class are the only ones immune from the Police. How many UPND cadres have been arrested for violence cases compared to PF cadres who have continuously tormented citizens with divergent opinions? Facts are facts, you can’t change them.
kekeke..ba pf mwapya
Iwe, Some pipo sold our companies and pocketed money are these pipo arrested? Arrest these pipo first before inciting pipo. selling our companies and pocketed money is more serious than that
Do you have evidence? Report these people to police and then like ECZ, offer yourself to be a witness in court. Otherwise shut up and sit down!
ubukopo. Go back to school
Are referring to the exploitative parasite??? That one??
ECZ, forgery is a crime…why are you not reporting this to ACC…you said two months that you will refer matters to the police why havent you reported?
“”We have been able to identify some forged documents like grade 12 certificates at our service centre during the verification process and such cases are reported to police,” Dr Chilala said.
He said once such cases of forgery were taken to the courts of law, the institution would only be called upon as a witness.””
Jay Jay, are you also a victim of the missing Grade 12 certificate?
hehehehe @Peter…well said. Trust me though, poor ol @jay Jay is scrambling with something to say…its the nature of the beast for some of these guys to just runt and runt and runt…
I suppose the opposition vice president is not among those reported, otherwise ifintu fyalanana
Just say is GMB’s Matero University Certificate. Not scores.
MOST OF THOSE WITH FORGED CERTIFICATES ARE FROM PF. PF IS FULL OF NON ENTITIES, THE VERY REASON WE WANT TO KICK THEM OUT OF POWER THIS AUGUST. VIVA HH VIVA! VIVA ZAMBIA VIVA!
Whoever implemented the Grade 12 or Form V (5) requirement to vie for political office in the Republic of Zambia was (is) a very wise man. So is the one who conceived the Running-mate proposal.
These are progressive pieces of legislation and hallmarks and heartlands of political excellence in our beloved country. A lot of political chaff and miscreants shall be sieved. Just wait, watch, be alert and cast your vote responsibly and wisely….
I agree. There are just too many of these miscreants riding on jobs they just do not deserve. It’s their constituents who suffer in the process.
This is interesting we shall see pipo with PHDs getting arrestested
So our country has been underdeveloped because we have been ruled by uneducated people for 50 years? I think Zambia will only see real development when I turn 35.
Any wonder why the country fails to prosper? Precisely because of reasons like having some illiterates with forged qualifications running high offices. To get educated is an involving process of acquiring concepts and values. Those forging qualifications are sabotaging the country!
Kambwili our evidence is failure to show us where they put our money and some pipo owning stolen proporty
How educated are educated Zambians? The draft constitution was prepared by highly educated Zambian lawyers now look at what has come out of it?
Yes. It exposed the uneducated MPs who fell on their own swords and only noticed when they saw blood… That is a clause by highly educated people, my friend!
IT SEEMS THOSE POLITICIANS WITH FORGED CERTIFICATES DO NOT HAV NAMES BECAUSE THE DIRECTOR FAILED TO MENTION ATLEAST THREE OF THEM,OR DOES IT MEAN THE CALPRITS BELONG TO THE CURRENT REGIME.THE POLICE ALSO HAV NOT ISSUED ANY STATEMENT ABOUT THIS REPORT.
If he says he has reported them to police he doesn’t have to mention them because doing so would be jeopardizing police work.
IWE that is the work of the police to mention suspects and the courts make judgement. The citizen reports suspects to the police not to newspapers. Director and team have done their job.
Is it mere boldness or desire to dare the law? How can one in his normal senses knowing very well that the certificate is forged lift his two balls and its accompanying stick to go and present a forged document to the verifying authorities?
I hope this doesn’t mean that a person who brings a genuine higher qualification is still asked to show a grade 12 or equivalent attainment? Grade 12 is only minimum. A lot of people seem not to understand this. Why do I need to produce a grade 12 certificate if I have a certified and accredited masters degree completed in the Queens language, for example?
You should answer on what grounds you got that… Coz admition to a certified and accredited masters degree completed in the Queens language, is bordered within a specific frame and not for every JIM & JACK… If it where as you seem to claim every failure with a good language skill in the queens language would become a holder of higher education like you
One by one they begin to fall…name them please. Let the paper that digs deeper dig their names out. We want to know them.
How dull does one need to be? You know that you failed G12, you forge the certificate and then you take the same for verification? Such people do not only deserve to be caged but to be publicly whipped! Such stupidity or dullness actually deserves to displayed in a museum because it is quite rare. And yet these are the potential leaders of the country, who , without this clause, would have been contracting debt and signing contracts on our behalf, Lord have mercy!!
It would be really good to identify the culprits and have their names published, this will deter others to try and commit the crime. We really want to know them!
The President should make Masumba Ambassador for telling people what happens when you use such fake papers and we’re they end up since he has been there before.
We should actually stop using ambassadorial appointments as a purgatory for failed or potentially dangerous politicians and office bearers…
Chilala please put a warning sign
“Fake qualifications shall be confiscated and owner’s name put on the list of shame”
Thereafter ACC and police will come in!
Home Affairs Fimofimo exculpate yourself. No wonder Police have failed us zedians.
Zwaa !
Comment: Will soon start seeing well meaning educated people entering politics. Thank you ECL.
I’m being censored
Folks I did form three yakale and I now run four successful businesses employing 450 Zambians and 40 South africans. Isn’t form three and my vast experience in succesful business not equivalent to grade 12? Seriously
why am i being censored? Folks I did form three yakale and I now run four successful businesses employing over 450 Zambians and 40 South africans. Isn’t form three and my succesful experience in business not equivalent to grade 12? Seriously
@ ZamItaliano – How do you still doubt a properly acquired higher qualification in favour of a grade 12 certificate? Why is a grade 12 qualification being inexplicably hoisted onto a very high wall? Dubious as it may be in the standards that determined its acquisition? You can fail grade 7 or 12 and still attain better recognised qualifications later. In fact, qualifications borne out of prior work or life experiences, are more useful than those attained through the memorising of past papers or indeed stolen exam papers.
@ ZamItaliano – How do you still doubt a properly acquired higher qualification in favour of a grade 12 certificate? Why is a grade 12 qualification being inexplicably hoisted onto a very high wall? Dubious as it may be in the standards that determined its acquisition? You can fail grade 7 or 12 and still attain better recognised qualifications later. In fact, qualifications borne out of prior work or life experiences, are more useful than those attained through the memorising of past papers or indeed stolen exam papers!