A Bulawayo man, Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, has gained attention for allegedly masquerading as a doctor at Mpilo Hospital, appeared in court on October 7 and was remanded until October 14.
Vanhuvaone (29) was arrested about a fortnight ago, released on US$100 bail by a Bulawayo magistrate, but then re-arrested on Monday last week for breaching his bail conditions.
His re-arrest occurred after he was spotted at Mpilo Hospital, violating conditions that required him to avoid interfering with State witnesses.
Vanhuvaone had been granted US$100 bail by a Bulawayo magistrate, with the State finding no compelling reasons to deny him bail.
His bail conditions required him to reside at his stated address, report to the police once a week and avoid interfering with State witnesses until the matter is finalised.
On the day of his re-arrest, Vanhuvaone was near the children’s ward at Mpilo Hospital when a victim recognized him and raised the alarm.
He had allegedly promised this individual a place at the Mpilo School of Nursing in May.
The spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Bulawayo Province, Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, said:
He lives in Barbourfields and was on his way to Greenspan and took a shortcut through the hospital when he bumped into one of his alleged victims.
The hospital’s security responded promptly, alerting the police, who detained him for questioning before verifying his alibi and releasing him under surveillance.
Vanhuvaone is accused of posing as a doctor under the false name Prosper Mpofu and faces two counts of fraud and one count of misrepresentation.
An internal investigation revealed he operated undetected from an office within Mpilo Hospital for nearly two years.
He allegedly extended his fraudulent activities to United Bulawayo Hospitals, deceiving both patients and staff.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

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A man pretended to be a doctor at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo. He was arrested, released on bail, then re-arrested for breaking bail conditions. He was spotted at the hospital, which he was told not to do. The police questioned him and let him go under supervision. He faces charges of fraud and lying about being a doctor. He fooled people at Mpilo and another hospital for two years. He promised someone a spot at nursing school. He will be in court again on October 14.

Mpilo Hospital Bogus Doctor Appears In Court, Further Remanded

Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, also known as Prosper Mpofu, who was recently arrested for allegedly posing as a medical doctor at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo, was involved in a violent altercation two years ago.
Vanhuvaone was granted US$100 bail by a Bulawayo magistrate last week after the State found no compelling reasons to deny him bail.
He was ordered to reside at his given address, report to the police once a week, and not interfere with State witnesses pending a court session on October 7.
However, he was spotted at Mpilo Central Hospital again on Monday, leading to his arrest.
According to <a href="https://bmetro.co.zw/mpilo-fake-doctor-no-stranger-to-controversy/">B-Metro</a>, in November 2022, the 29-year-old went on a rampage after suspecting that his pregnant girlfriend, Abercy “Spongy” Chishapira, was cheating on him—a suspicion that was confirmed.
Vanhuvaone, whose name means “people should see,” violently attacked two men he caught with his girlfriend at a city lodge and a flat.
He assaulted Erick Gumbo from Nkulumane suburb after finding him with Chishapira, threatening to cut off his manhood in the process.
He also confronted Butholenkosi Gula Ndebele, delivering brutal blows to his face, chest, neck, and back after finding him with Chishapira at Ndebele’s flat.
The altercation escalated when Vanhuvaone struck Ndebele with a guitar, breaking it into pieces, and smashed the screen of his 55-inch Samsung TV.
Following these incidents, Vanhuvaone was arrested and appeared before Bulawayo Magistrate Musaiwona Shotgame, facing two counts of assault and one count of malicious damage to property.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges but was convicted based on overwhelming evidence.
In an attempt to avoid jail time, Vanhuvaone falsely presented himself as a fifth-year medical student during mitigation, claiming he was dedicated to healing people and making significant contributions to society.
The magistrate, seemingly impressed by his fabricated credentials, considered leniency, reasoning that a custodial sentence would deprive society of a valuable asset.
Ultimately, Vanhuvaone received a non-custodial sentence. For the first two counts of assault, he was fined $70,000 (or seven months in jail), with ten months’ imprisonment suspended for five years, contingent on good behaviour.
For the malicious damage to property charge, he was sentenced to ten months imprisonment, five months of which were suspended for five years under the same condition.
The remaining five months were suspended on the condition that he compensated Ndebele with US$1,100 for the damaged property.
In his defence, Vanhuvaone claimed that Gumbo had throttled him, prompting his retaliation.
He asserted that during the struggle with Ndebele, the latter fell onto the TV. He denied deliberately damaging any items, stating that when Ndebele attempted to hit him with the guitar, he dodged it, leading to the accidental damage.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Taurai Vanhuvaone, a man who pretended to be a doctor at Mpilo Hospital, got in trouble before for a fight with his girlfriend's friends. He attacked them and broke things. He went to court and lied about being a medical student, trying to avoid punishment. The judge believed him and gave him a small fine. But then he was caught at the hospital again and arrested. He had to pay for the broken things and some jail time. He said he was defending himself in the fight.

Mpilo Hospital "Fake Doctor" Taurai Vanhuvaone No Stranger To Controversy

A bogus medical doctor who caused a stir at Mpilo Central Hospital by prescribing Lacto (sour milk) for a heart ailment appeared before a Bulawayo magistrate on Thursday, facing charges of violating the Health Professions Act and two counts of fraud, reported <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/bogus-mpilo-hospital-doctor-remanded-in-custody/">ZimLive</a>.
The suspect, Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone (29), also known as Prosper Mpofu, resides in Bulawayo’s Upper Rangemore suburb.
He is additionally accused of defrauding a nurse aid student of US$1,600 by promising to secure her an attachment at Mpilo Central Hospital.
Vanhuvaone appeared in court without legal representation.
Bulawayo magistrate Nomagugu Maphosa remanded him in custody to Monday for bail hearing.
Vanhuvaone may have been masquerading as a qualified medical doctor for some time, but his luck ran out when he issued a bizarre prescription that included references to Lacto and fruits such as apples and grapes for a patient.
This unusual prescription raised questions about his credentials as a legitimate physician.
This is not Vanhuvaone’s first encounter with the law; he previously appeared in court on assault charges in 2022, during which he claimed to be a fifth-year medical student.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

A fake doctor was caught at Mpilo Central Hospital for giving strange prescriptions. The person, Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, also known as Prosper Mpofu, was accused of breaking the law and committing fraud. He promised a student an attachment at the hospital in exchange for money. He appeared in court without a lawyer and was remanded in custody. This incident brought into question his qualifications as a doctor. Vanhuvaone has had run-ins with the law before and claimed to be a medical student in the past.

Fake Mpilo Central Hospital Medical Doctor Remanded In Custody

Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals (PGH) says it has always made efforts to safeguard the public from unscrupulous people who masquerade as its employees with malicious intentions to fleece unsuspecting members of the public.
This comes after three people were arrested at the hospital for impersonating doctors this month.
In a statement, PGH said that in 2023 alone, 33 offenders were picked up by its Security Department, while this year from January 2024 to date, 11 suspects have been nabbed. The hospital said:
<blockquote>
Bogus Doctors, bogus tutors who extort prospective student nurses and thieves who steal from both staff members and patients are some of those criminals who have been picked up and handed over to the police.
Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals is a vast institution with close to 400 Doctors of all professional levels and a total staff establishment of close to 4000.
Unscrupulous people take advantage of our vastness and complexity to carry out nefarious activities. 
Fortunately, our Surveillance Teams remain vigilant and have always apprehended these unruly elements who try to penetrate and abuse our systems.
</blockquote>
PGH said investigations it has carried out so far have established that the 3 recently arrested fake Doctors did not manage any patient.
It vowed that surveillance teams shall continue to flush out criminals bent on abusing public trust in the institution.
The three fake doctors who were arrested at the hospital in April 2024 are Andrew Mapulanga (52), Blessing Nyanzira (24), and Douglas Garikayi Mutoredzanwa.
Mapulanga was caught by an alert security officer at Parirenyatwa Hospital on 15 April. His arrest followed the discovery of articles intended for criminal use.
Mutoredzanwa was arrested on 23 April after his bizarre behaviour revealed that he was bogus. It is alleged that while analyzing an X-ray in front of a patient, he held it upside down. His arrest at Parirenyatwa Hospital revealed an outstanding warrant related to a 2019 case.
Nyanzira was arrested on 25 April as he attempted to bypass a staff security checkpoint during the lunch hour break.
All three men appeared at the Harare Magistrates Court and their cases are yet to be finalised.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

11 Fake Doctors Arrested At Parirenyatwa Hospital

A 52-year-old was arrested last week for masquerading as a gynaecologist at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in Harare.
As reported by <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200025942/bogus-gynaecologist-nabbed">NewsDay</a>, the accused, Andrew Mapulanga appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi following his arrest on Thursday.
He is facing a charge of possession of articles for criminal use and he was remanded in custody to this Monday for bail application.
Prosecutor Rufaro Chonzi told the court that on April 15 this year, Mapulanga went to Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals hanging a stethoscope on his neck and moved up and down the corridors at the hospital.
It is further alleged that a security officer, Julia Shambare, suspected him to be a fake doctor because of his suspicious movements.
Shambare then alerted her colleague Alexander Munera who apprehended Mapulanga and took him to ZRP Parirenyatwa Post.
The police searched Mapulanga and found him in possession of a stethoscope, a business card indicating that he is a gynaecologist and a photocopy of Charity Mungofa’s Ordinary Level certificate.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Fake Gynaecologist Arrested At Parirenyatwa Hospital

A Zimbabwean man was arrested in South Africa after impersonating a medical doctor and using the doctor’s registration credentials to practise illegally.
He was arrested during the ongoing nationwide crackdown on healthcare practitioners operating illegally launched recently by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-and-courts/imposter-doctor-arrested-as-nation-wide-crackdown-on-fake-medics-gains-momentum-081ca01d-1657-4d27-9b4c-d18f00909fb4">IOL</a> reported.
Spokesperson Christopher Tsatsawane said in April 2023, Dr Lesne Pucjlowski reported to the HPCSA that an unknown person had fraudulently used her name, identity number, and registration number to secure a job in Cape Town. The suspect, Simba Koromani, was arrested after he was lured to an interview for another job placement, where he applied for the position using Dr Lesne Pucjlowski’s information. During interrogation, Koromani, a Zimbabwean citizen with no valid passport, admitted to being an impostor. A fake identity document and CV with his picture but bearing Dr Pucjlowski’s details were found in his possession. Koromani was arrested and detained for fraud and contravening Section 17 and Section 40 of the Health Professions Act, 56 of 1974.
In another incident, a Congolese national was arrested in Kuruman, Northern Cape, for practising as a medical practitioner while not registered with the council. Tsatsawane said during the inspection, it was discovered that the Congolese national, Mr Tshifata Katembwe, has been working at a medical practice registered to one Dr TK Gopane since January 2022. Tsatsawane said:
Mr Katembwe was arrested for practising illegally and as a result, he was in contravention of Section 17(1) of the Health Professions Act, 56 of 1974, and detained at the Kuruman SAPS. After his arrest, Katembwe appeared before the Kuruman Magistrate’s Court last week, and his case was postponed. Tsatsawane said Dr Gopane is registered with the HPCSA Council as a medical practitioner and will be reported to the Medical and Dental Professions Board for appointing an unregistered person.
The HPCSA is responsible for regulating health professions in South Africa, including education, training, registration, professional conduct, ethical behaviour, and ensuring Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The council has called on the public to report illegal practices by unregistered individuals and for registered practitioners to be cautious and report any suspected illegal practices.
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