'Bogus' Zimbabwean nurse cons way to UK university

COVENTRY - A Zimbabwean nurse who faked her way to a diploma and a professional register has been banned from practicing in the United Kingdom.

Sibusiso Nyoni duped Coventry University officials into giving her a place on a three-year-diploma in adult nursing.

She was awarded the qualification on completing the course, which permitted her onto a professional nursing register.

But as the Telegraph reported last November, the university later stripped her of the nursing certificate after an anonymous tip-off she got on the course by deception.

Following inquiries with a secondary school in Zimbabwe, course leaders learned she'd faked an education certificate from the school to get on the course, and forged another document purporting to be from the headmaster to persuade course leaders she had attended the institution.

The university rescinded her qualification and informed the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) which accepted Nyoni on their register after she completed the course in January 2011.

Nyoni had also gone on to secure employment.

The NMC initially suspended her for further investigation, but Nyoni has now been removed from its register.

At a recent hearing, the NMC panel heard how M Nyoni had admitted at a previous hearing that she had been dishonest on two occasions, by submitting the fraudulent certificate to Coventry University and by providing the university with fraudulent letter in an attempt to confirm the fake certificate's authenticity.

Stephen Neale, chair of the NMC panel, said: "The panel considered integrity to be central to the role of a nurse and Nyoni's actions eroded this integrity.

"The panel concluded that given the nature of the fraudulent entry, namely that Nyoni had dishonestly acquired her registration, it was not capable of correction by amendment.

"The panel decided that taking no action was inappropriate in this case, and in the circumstances the panel direct the registrar to remove the entry from the register." An order was made that Nyoni should be removed from the NMC register, meaning she is banned from practising anywhere in the UK.

Nyoni has also been served with an 18-month interim suspension order to cover any appeal period.