News / National
Mpilo fake doctor trial date
07 Mar 2025 at 08:05hrs | Views
The trial for Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, a 29-year-old Bulawayo man accused of impersonating a doctor at Mpilo Central Hospital, has been scheduled for March 28, 2025. Vanhuvaone, who resides in Barbourfields suburb, briefly appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Mr. Challenge Mahembe. He faces two counts of fraud and one count of misrepresentation.
Vanhuvaone was granted US$100 bail and remanded to the trial date. His arrest stemmed from allegations that he had posed as a medical professional, using the name "Prosper Mpofu," for a two-year period. During this time, he allegedly operated undetected from offices at Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), where he attended to patients and prescribed medication.
The charges against Vanhuvaone include an incident on August 17, 2023, when he allegedly misrepresented himself as a registered doctor to Miss Faith Hove at Mpilo. Vanhuvaone charged her US$120 for treatment, but Hove grew suspicious when her condition failed to improve. Between February and April 2023, Vanhuvaone allegedly defrauded Miss Samantha Ziki of US$1,600, promising to assist her in enrolling at the Mpilo Central Hospital School of Nursing.
The state claims that Vanhuvaone was able to operate at both hospitals for two years before being exposed by an alert nurse, which led to his arrest.
The trial is set to begin later this month, and further details will be revealed in court.
Vanhuvaone was granted US$100 bail and remanded to the trial date. His arrest stemmed from allegations that he had posed as a medical professional, using the name "Prosper Mpofu," for a two-year period. During this time, he allegedly operated undetected from offices at Mpilo Central Hospital and United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH), where he attended to patients and prescribed medication.
The charges against Vanhuvaone include an incident on August 17, 2023, when he allegedly misrepresented himself as a registered doctor to Miss Faith Hove at Mpilo. Vanhuvaone charged her US$120 for treatment, but Hove grew suspicious when her condition failed to improve. Between February and April 2023, Vanhuvaone allegedly defrauded Miss Samantha Ziki of US$1,600, promising to assist her in enrolling at the Mpilo Central Hospital School of Nursing.
The state claims that Vanhuvaone was able to operate at both hospitals for two years before being exposed by an alert nurse, which led to his arrest.
The trial is set to begin later this month, and further details will be revealed in court.
Source - The Chronicle
