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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Plumtree Correspondent
A BULILIMA District health worker will spend the next three months in prison after failing to raise a $300 fine for issuing a fake public health food handler’s certificate to a client.

Gift Chitumbire (44) who works as a health orderly at Tokwana Clinic issued a public health medical food handler’s certificate to Ms Constance Tshuma in the name of Dr Erasmus Hapanyengwi.

He further received R100 as payment for issuing the certificate and did not receipt the money.

Chitumbire was convicted on his own plea of guilty to criminal abuse of duty as a public officer by Plumtree magistrate, Mr Taurai Manwere. He was fined $300 or sentenced to three months imprisonment. In addition, he was issued with a wholly suspended six months jail sentence.

Chitumbire told the court that he committed the offence in order to raise money to buy food for his family.

“I don’t have money to pay the fine at the moment. Your Worship could I please be given time to pay. I committed the offence in the first place because I wanted to raise money to buy food for my family but I was going to replace it once I got paid.

“A client came to the hospital to acquire a medical certificate and I saw it as an opportunity to get the money because I was desperate,” he said.

Mr Manwere, however, told Chitumbire that poverty was not an excuse for committing offences. He denied him a grace period to pay the fine and ordered him to serve three months in prison if he did not immediately have the money.

Prosecuting, Mr Elisha Mazorodze said the public health medical food handler’s certificate can only be issued by a doctor after a medical examination.

He said on March 3 last year, Ms Tshuma went to Tokwana Clinic to obtain a medical certificate.

Mr Mazorodze said Chitumbire who is an environmental health orderly went on to issue the certificate and purported that it had been issued by Dr Hapanyengwi.

“Chitumbire further authenticated the certificate by rubber stamping it with the stamp of the Bulilima District Environmental Health Officer. He also received a payment of R100 from Ms Tshuma and pocketed the money,” said Mr Mazorodze.

@DubeMatutu