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Peter Matika, [email protected]

NEW details about a 29-year-old Bulawayo man who masqueraded as a medical doctor at a local hospital and defrauded a woman seeking medical attention have emerged.

It has since been revealed that the man who was initially identified as Prosper Mpofu is in actual fact named Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone from Barbourfields in Bulawayo.

Vanhuvaone who was arrested on Tuesday, after his cover was blown appeared in court yesterday facing two counts of fraud and one of misrepresentation.

He appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Nomagugu Maphosa, while Mrs Tsungai Charmaine Mutapi-Saunyama presented the case for the State.

Vanhuvaone was remanded in custody to 3 October, while his bail appeal will only be heard today.

The State is however opposed to bail, stating that he is a flight risk, given the gravity of his crime.

On the first count, Mrs Mutapi-Saunyama told the court that On 16 September this year at Mpilo Central Hospital Vanhuvaone attended to patients seeking medical assistance, while all the while pretending to be a medical practitioner and prescribed drugs for them.

“He contravened section 121 of the Health Professions Act Chapter 27:19 (Unregistered Persons Practicing as Registered or representing themselves to Be Medical Practitioners),” she said.

For the second count, Mrs Mutapi-Saunyama said Vanhuvaone said he was being charged with fraud as in section 136 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act Chapter 9:23.

“On 17 August at Mpilo Central Hospital the accused person misrepresented to the complainant – Miss Faith Hove that he was a registered medical doctor and as such was able to treat her, due this misrepresentation the complainant agreed to be treated and was charged US$120 for services,” she said.

Mrs Mutapi-Saunyama said Miss Hove discovered that she had been duped when her condition failed to improve.

On count three She said Vanhuvaone sometime between February 2023 and April 2024 defrauded another complainant Miss Samantha Ziki of US$1 600 after leading her to believe that he was a medical practitioner and had influence to secure her a place at Mpilo Central Hospital’s school of nursing.

“The accused person went on to ask for money to facilitate the vacancy and he was given cash amounting to US$1 600 which he converted to his own use thereby prejudicing the complainant,” she said.

In 2022 Vanhuvaone was convicted and sentenced for a charge of assault after he beat up two men whom he suspected to be in a sexual relationship with his then girlfriend at a city lodge.

He was also charged with malicious damage to property.

Vanhuvaone escaped a prison sentence after he pleaded with the court not to incarcerate him as he was a fifth-year medical student.

On the first two counts of assault, Mpofu was fined $70 000 (or seven months in jail). Ten months imprisonment was suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.

On count three of malicious property damage, he was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment of which five months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.

The remaining five months were suspended on condition that he compensates Ndebele US$1 100 being the value of his property he destroyed when he was beating him up.