Mpilo Hospital Employee Sentenced for Stealing Phones from Vulnerable Patients

A 34-year-old Mpilo Central Hospital employee has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for stealing mobile phones from vulnerable patients, exploiting their fragile conditions while they sought medical care.

Lizuba Nkosi Ngula, an HIV testing counselor employed by Global Fund and stationed at Mpilo Central Hospital, was convicted on three counts of theft after a full trial in Bulawayo.

Mpilo Hospital Employee Sentenced for Stealing Phones from Patients

While Bulawayo Magistrate Nomagugu Maphosa initially imposed a one-year jail term, she conditionally suspended three months. The remaining nine months were set aside, requiring Ngula to perform 315 hours of community service at Cowdray Park Primary School.

The Sunday News reported that Ngula committed the crimes at the hospital’s postnatal ward, targeting female patients. Prosecutor Hazel Siphiwe Sithole revealed that on November 6, 2024, Ngula stole a Samsung Galaxy A05 worth $100 from Lucy Machingauta, a 36-year-old Queens Park resident.

He reportedly took the phone while she was admitted and later fled. Police recovered the stolen device following his arrest.

• On the same day, Ngula stole an Itel P36 cellphone from Martha Luwe, another patient in the postnatal ward. Two days later, he struck again, stealing an O King cellphone from 19-year-old Shamiso Ndlovu of Lower Gweru’s Ndlovu homestead.

What’s Happening At The Institution?

This incident comes on the heels of another scandal at Mpilo Hospital involving a fake doctor, Taurai Prosper Vanhuvaone, who operated for over two years undetected.

The bogus doctor, whose case made headlines in September 2024, even had an office and treated patients at both Mpilo and the United Bulawayo Hospitals. The Ministry of Health has since launched investigations into hospital systems and employee verification processes.

ALSO READ: Fake Mpilo Doctor’s History Of Crime And Controversy Revealed

After he was released on bail in September, Vanhuvaone was caught again at the Mpilo Hospital grounds, about to dupe other unsuspecting patients. He was then arrested.

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