Online Reporter
Emmanuel Kafe
A nurse at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare is accused of stealing medical supplies and selling them to an unlicenced local private clinic.
Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze said they were aware of the case, adding that the matter is under investigation.
“This issue has been reported to Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and they are investigating the case,” he said.
The nurse, Ms Tsitsi Zakira Mavhengere, is at the centre of allegations that she siphoned off medicines, gloves, syringes, linen and other hospital materials and delivered them to Mbuya Nyarai Clinic and Maternity Home in Budiriro.
The clinic, which was shut down five months ago, was operating without registration and was co-owned by Mr Norbert Chifeya, a man with a known history of fraud.
The theft came to light after a whistleblower handed over a video to The Herald, showing hospital-branded items inside the Budiriro clinic. The footage revealed packages that carried batch and lot numbers believed to be directly linked to Sally Mugabe Hospital.
Among the items were boxes of sterile gloves manufactured by Swear Healthcare (Pvt) Ltd, size 6.5, with batch number 09202305 and licence number MFG/MD/2023/000474.
Also visible were boxes of syringes marked Lot 2327215 with REF 305167, crepe bandages and rolls of Leukoplast S hospital tape bearing Lot 727 and REF 72357-04.
The video also showed bottles of Betadine antiseptic, batch S2400307, serial 71112372936247, as well as five rolls of absorbent gauze, Lot HP20210115.
Other evidence included Codefree blood glucose test strips, Lot 10357H1AC1, lubricants supplied by UNFPA with batch number 23J65412MO, and needle gauge packs marked Lot 190626.
Medicines for eyes, hand sanitiser bottles, and even linen sheets with Sally Mugabe Hospital tags cut out using scissors were also captured.
Insiders say the theft had been going on for months, depriving patients of vital supplies. “This is part of a wider syndicate where public resources are diverted to private operators,” said one senior hospital employee.
“When you hear patients being told there are no gloves or syringes, this is why.”
The now-closed clinic was based at 16573 in Budiriro 5B.
Sources privy with the developments said health inspectors moved in after receiving reports that it was running without a licence.
Responding to questions from The Herald, the accused nurse, Ms Mavhengere, said the video footage was fabricated.
“l have nothing to comment to you about this. Ask varidzi vebasa — and I was not part and parcel of that clinic in question.
“That is not footage but a fabricated video that was taken by a phone,” she said.
When asked for comment, Mr Chifeya dismissed the allegations as a smear campaign.
“There are people who want to destroy my name,” he said. “The clinic was closed months ago after health officials said we were not fully registered. They even threatened my co-director in order to take over the place.”
But questions remain about how the clinic stocked itself so quickly and how hospital-marked items found their way inside.
Chifeya is not new to controversy.
In 2011 he appeared in court in Masvingo, where he pleaded guilty after defrauding then Mayor Alderman Femius Chakabuda.
He was fined US$400 and ordered to repay US$1,250.
His latest links to the Budiriro clinic have raised concerns that public hospital staff may have been helping him run a steady supply chain of stolen goods.
Public health experts warn that the theft of hospital supplies is not just about lost resources but also creates risks for patients treated in unregistered clinics that use stolen drugs and equipment.
“There is no guarantee these items are stored correctly or even safe for use once they leave the hospital system,” said Prof Johannes Marisa, a Harare-based public health analyst.
“It is the public that suffers twice: first through shortages at Government hospitals, and again through dangerous practices at illegal private facilities.”
Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary Dr Aspect Maunganidze said they were aware of the case, adding that authorities are now on the ground to institute thorough investigations.
“This issue has been reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and they are investigating the case,” he said.
When contacted for comment, the hospital’s public relations department advised that all inquiries be directed to senior management, specifically the chief executive officer.
However, questions sent to the CEO, Dr Hopewell Mungani, remain unanswered.
Repeated efforts to reach him by phone have also been unsuccessful; on the single occasion the call was answered, the only response given was a curt remark: “He is busy, can you call after 30 minutes?”
