Exam scripts destroyed as fire guts nuns' flat

EXAMINATION answer sheets for student nurses at Gweru Provincial Hospital were reportedly burnt when a flat belonging to Roman Catholic nuns and hospital tutors in Gweru was gutted by fire on Friday night.

Property worth thousands of dollars was also destroyed at the two-storey building following the inferno, which authorities at the building said was caused by a candle, which was left burning in one of the rooms.

The flat along Lobengula Avenue is occupied by nuns most of whom are said to be nurses and tutors at Gweru Provincial Hospital.

Some Catholic sisters at the flat told Chronicle that one of the nuns, and a tutor at Gweru Provincial Hospital, only identified as Sister Ngungu is admitted at Gweru Provincial Hospital after she sustained serious burns in her bid to serve her students' examination answer sheets.

The Gweru Diocese superior sister, Sister Irene Mugomba, confirmed the fire incident and the admission to hospital of Sister Ngungu.

Sister Mugomba who also confirmed that Sister Ngungu was a tutor at Gweru Provincial Hospital, however, down played the issue of the burning of the students' answer sheets.

"I can confirm that one of our flats was burnt down on Friday night and one of our sisters, Sister Ngungu has been admitted at Gweru hospital after sustaining some burns when she tried to retrieve some property from the flat when it went up in flames," she said.

Sister Mugomba said nothing was salvaged from the first floor of the flat.

"The fire fighters who attended the scene managed to put out the fire before it spread to the ground floor but nothing was recovered from the first floor where the fire started.

"I wouldn't know if there were some examinations papers which were also destroyed in the fire but I don't think the hospital authorities would have allowed her to carry the examination answer sheets to mark at home," she said.

Sources, however, said the fire, which later destroyed all the property on the first floor of the building, emanated from Sister Ngungu's room as she was marking using a candlelight.

"There was no electricity on the day in question and the fire, which later destroyed everything on the first floor of the building, was actually started by a candle, which was left by Sister Ngungu in one of the rooms where she was marking student nurses exams," said one of the sisters residing at the flat.

Midlands provincial medical director Dr Patron Mafaune, was said to be in Bulawayo attending a workshop when Chronicle called her office for a comment yesterday.

Contacted for comment Gweru Provincial Hospital medical superintendent Dr Fabian Mashingaidze, denied reports that student nurses examination answer sheets were destroyed in the fire.

"There is nothing like that. As per the policy, we do not allow any exam papers to be taken outside the institution and all the marking is done within the hospital. There was no way our tutor would have taken the students answer sheets outside the hospital for marking," he said.