ZANU PF “Hijacks” Nursing Recruitment Process
A major scandal has surfaced in Zimbabwe’s nursing recruitment system, involving allegations that ZANU PF officials are manipulating admissions to favor party loyalists. This has transformed a merit-based process into one influenced heavily by politics and corruption.
Incident at Gutu Mission Hospital
The controversy came to light after a student nurse at Gutu Mission Hospital was found to have used a forged certificate to gain entry into the nursing training program. The third-year trainee reportedly fled the hostels two weeks prior to the planned verification of O-Level results.
Investigations showed that the student had only four O-Level passes but submitted a fabricated certificate claiming six subjects, which secured their admission.
Corruption in Recruitment
Although the nursing schools are officially managed by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, insiders reveal that political interference and corruption have corrupted the recruitment system.
“It is now an open secret that getting into nursing school requires paying a US$1,500 bribe,” a source familiar with the process said. “No one gets in without paying. Academic merit is no longer the determining factor.”
The source further claimed that ZANU PF officials have effectively taken over the selection process, sidelining fairness and qualification standards.
Summary
This scandal exposes how political interference and corruption undermine meritocracy in Zimbabwe’s nursing recruitment, compromising the integrity of the health sector.
Would you like the tone to be more formal or more conversational?