Authorities arrested a 23-year-old student nurse at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo for allegedly submitting a fraudulent academic certificate to gain admission to the nursing program. Thelma Gurupira from Mbare in Harare faces charges of fraud and forgery after prosecutors say she presented a fake Zimbabwe Examinations Council certificate claiming she passed her exams. Magistrate Takudzwa Gwazemba released her on free bail on Monday after an initial court appearance on Thursday.
Prosecutor Sibusisiwe Sithole told the court that Gurupira applied to Mpilo School of Nursing in September 2017 despite lacking the required five ordinary level passes with symbol C or better. The nursing school enrolled her based on the falsified document, and she trained from September 2022 through September 2025. Another student nurse from Murehwa appeared before the same court last week on similar charges of using forged credentials at the institution. Mpilo Central Hospital has experienced multiple fraud cases this year after a 27-year-old man received a seven-year prison sentence in June for impersonating a qualified medical doctor.
Prosecutor Sibusisiwe Sithole told the court that Gurupira applied to Mpilo School of Nursing in September 2017 despite lacking the required five ordinary level passes with symbol C or better. The nursing school enrolled her based on the falsified document, and she trained from September 2022 through September 2025. Another student nurse from Murehwa appeared before the same court last week on similar charges of using forged credentials at the institution. Mpilo Central Hospital has experienced multiple fraud cases this year after a 27-year-old man received a seven-year prison sentence in June for impersonating a qualified medical doctor.
