Online Reporter
Peter Matika
MPILO Central Hospital in Bulawayo has been rocked by yet another scandal after a bogus nurse was busted for using a fake O-Level certificate to secure a place in its nursing school.
Sandra Kudzaishe Ndege (25) from Murehwa, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Abednico Ndebele on Thursday facing charges of fraud and forgery. She pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody until 29 September.
According to court papers, Ndege failed her O-Levels twice, but allegedly forged a Zimsec certificate showing eight passes, including English, Maths, and Science.
Armed with the fake document, she applied to Mpilo’s nursing school in September 2023 and was accepted, going on to train for nearly two years while receiving a monthly salary.
“In September 2023, she applied for a place to train as a Registered General Nurse using the fake certificate as proof of educational qualifications. Mpilo Hospital School of Nursing acted upon the misrepresentation and enrolled her,” read the court papers.
The scam was exposed in July after Mpilo sent her results to Zimsec for verification. Officials confirmed the certificate was fake, leading to her arrest.
Investigations revealed that in 2018, sitting under candidate number 030769/3018, Ndege passed only three of seven subjects, failing both Maths and Science. A 2019 re-sit saw her pass just one subject.
Her forged certificate, however, painted a completely different story — with top grades like Agriculture (A), Shona (A), English (B), and Mathematics (C).
This scandal comes barely six months after another scandal at Mpilo, where Taurayi Prosper Vanhuvaone (29) masqueraded as a medical doctor for two years.
Operating as “Dr Prosper Mpofu,” he treated patients, ran an illegal office inside the hospital, and even conned desperate job-seekers with fake nursing placements.
Vanhuvaone was jailed for seven years in March, with part of the sentence suspended.
Mpilo’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, said the hospital had since tightened its vetting systems to prevent further embarrassments.
“We deeply regret these lapses and have taken steps to ensure this never happens again,” he said.
derick.khumalo