Bogus nurse shocker at Mpilo

Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo has been hit by another scandal after a 25-year-old woman was caught using a forged Ordinary Level certificate to enrol in its nursing school.

Sandra Kudzaishe Ndege, of Murewa, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Abednico Ndebele facing charges of fraud and forgery. She pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody until September 29.

According to court papers, Ndege failed her Ordinary Levels twice but went on to forge a Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) certificate listing eight passes, including English, Mathematics and Science. Armed with the fake document, she successfully applied for a place at Mpilo's nursing school in September 2023, trained for nearly two years and received a monthly salary during her stay.

The scam was exposed in July after Mpilo sent her records to Zimsec for verification. Officials confirmed the certificate was fraudulent. Further checks showed that in 2018, under candidate number 030769/3018, she passed only three subjects out of seven, failing Mathematics and Science. A 2019 re-sit saw her pass just one subject.

Her forged document, however, falsely indicated high grades such as Agriculture (A), Shona (A), English (B) and Mathematics (C).

This case follows a March scandal at the same hospital where Taurayi Prosper Vanhuvaone, 29, posed as a doctor for two years under the name "Dr Prosper Mpofu." He treated patients, operated an illegal office inside the hospital, and defrauded job seekers with fake nursing placements. He was sentenced to seven years in jail, with part of the term suspended.

Mpilo's chief medical officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, acknowledged the breach and said the hospital has strengthened its vetting processes. "We deeply regret these lapses and have taken steps to ensure this never happens again," he said.