Online Reporter
ANOTHER bogus nurse has been arrested at Mpilo Central Hospital, barely a week after a similar case was exposed at the institution.
Thelma Gurupira (23) of Mbare, Harare, appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Takudzwa Gwazemba on Monday, facing charges of fraud and forgery. She was remanded out of custody to October 10.
Prosecuting, Ms Sibusisiwe Sithole told the court that Gurupira tendered a forged Zimbabwe School Examinations Council (Zimsec) Ordinary Level certificate when applying for a place at Mpilo School of Nursing. The fake certificate claimed she had passed six subjects in November 2017.
Acting on the falsified document, Mpilo admitted her into training, where she studied from September 12, 2022, to September 11, 2025.
This is the third such scandal to rock the hospital. Just last week, Sandra Kudzaishe Ndege (25) of Murehwa appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Mr Abednico Ndebele, on similar charges. She is accused of forging an O-
Level certificate showing eight passes, including English, Maths and Science, after twice failing the exams. Ndege was allegedly accepted into training in 2023, received a monthly salary, and went undetected until July this year, when Mpilo sent her results to Zimsec for verification.
Investigations revealed that Ndege had in fact, only managed four passes across two sittings. Her forged certificate, however, reflected strong grades such as Agriculture (A), Shona (A), English (B) and Mathematics (C). She pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to September 29.
These cases come only months after another sensational scandal at Mpilo, when Taurayi Prosper Vanhuvaone (29) masqueraded as a doctor for two years. Using the alias “Dr Prosper Mpofu,” he ran an illegal office inside the hospital, treated patients, and duped desperate job-seekers with promises of fake nursing placements. He was jailed for seven years in March, with part of the sentence suspended.
Mpilo Central Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Narcisius Dzvanga, said the hospital had since tightened its vetting systems to avoid further embarrassment.
“We deeply regret these lapses and have taken steps to ensure this never happens again,” he said.
