By 
At a time nurses were protesting outside state hospitals demanding to be paid in U.S. dollars as inflation running at nearly 800% was eroding their salaries, the country’s nurses union and the Ministry of Health have been embroiled in a Nurses Council corruption alongside Chairperson of the Nurses Council Board Dr. Dodzo and the Registrar Mrs Chaka.
Investigations by TechnoMag nevertheless may clear Dr Dodzo and her boss the Vice President however the Registrar has been caught offside making promises she failed to keep to the nurse she allegedly duped and defrauded.
South Africa based Zimbabwean nurse Jeffrey Marecha showed TechMag Tv evidence of deposits he made to the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe totalling US$767.
In a letter, Marecha bemoans the whole ordeal where he was promised a nursing job in South Africa to no avail.
”I am Jeffrey Marecha a registered nurse based in SA. I applied for a practising certificate in April. I was told to pay US$767 to obtain a practising certificate.”
Jeffrey SAID ” I paid in June but up to now I still haven’t received any document.”The duped nurse sent in the following document where he made a payment through the official accounts to the Nurses Association first with a US$400 payment to its CBZ account as indicated below.
ADHOC DOMESTIC PAYMENT Reference Number 2116615473970014 Account Type Domestic Account Number 8740409429100 Account Name NURSES ASSOCIATION OF ZIMBABWE Pay Via RTGS
IFSC Code SCBLZWHX ZIMBABWE – STANDARD CHARTERED BANK 106 Jason Moyo , Harare , RTGS , Transfer From 20440250080, Amount USD400.00, Transfer When 15 Jun 2021, Note NURSES COUNCIL OF ZIM CO M MOYO……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..This is computer generated receipt no signature required.Electronic Receipt owns no official legal effect, You may go to branch to get the paper receipt.
An economic crisis under President Emmerson Mnangagwa has revived memories of the hardships of more than a decade ago when hyperinflation wiped out savings and pensions and forced the country to dump its currency in favour of the U.S. dollar.Nurses holding placards reading “No U.S. dollar no work” and “#Nurses can’t breath” said they had to protest because they cannot survive on a monthly salary of 3,000 Zimbabwe dollars ($47). Yet the Nurses Association which is supposed to be looking out for the plight of its nurses seems to be devouring its own babies the nurses.
Zimbabwe reintroduced its local currency after a decade of official use of the U.S. dollar but the local currency rapidly lost value, sending prices rocketing and raising fears of renewed hyperinflation.
Zimbabwe’s inflation rate stands at 785%, one of the highest in the world, while businesses charge in U.S. dollars and use black market rates to calculate prices in the local currency, making goods too expensive for many.
Some time ago, Zimbabwe suspended trade on the stock exchange and some mobile phone payments, which account for over 80% of all transactions, as part of efforts to arrest the local currency’s slide. As it stands 30 organizations have been banned by the RBZ as 8 more were charged for mobile money abuse. The concerns raised by this defrauded nurse also raise alarms on the abuse of mobile money through regular payments he made to the association.
”US$767 means US$69 every year from 2015 to 2021. Then a penalty fee of US$250 and a restoration fee of US34.”
Marecha added ”I paid all this money. But from 2015 to 2019 annual registration fees were only US$20 meaning I was defrauded of US$49 every year from 2015 to 2020”
Marecha further made more payments of USD$280 and another USDD$90 ALL DEPOSITED INTO THE NURSES ASSOCIATIONS cbz ACCOUNT ALL LEGIT DOCUMENTS IN POSSESSION OF THIS PUBLICATION.
The male nurse continued his lamentation in his letter saying ”Again from 2015 to this year I was suspended from the nurses register and during this time, I am not supposed to be made to pay annual registration fees and also to practice.”
”I was forced to pay. I paid. I sought to get clarity from the nurse’s council registrar who ignores both calls, WhatsApp and emails.”
TechnoMag made contact with Mrs Chaka the Registrar and she was indeed evasive as if hiding something.
The Registrar in a correspondence with this journalist had the following to say, ON 7 October 2021.
”TechnoMag Journalist RM- Greetings Registrar, i spoke to Dr Dodzo the chairperson and she said i could hear your side of the story concerning allegations from Nurse Jeffrey Marecha, on why you are not re-registering him so he may proceed with his career in SA? Thanks.
Registrar Mrs Chaka – Hie, thanks.May i know who you are?
TechnoMag Journalist RM – Great i’m Ross Moyo Editor TechnoMag thanks Registrar.
Registrar Mrs Chaka – Advise Mr Marecha to open his emails from Nurses Council, (7 July 2021, 14 Aug 2021), the instructions on what he needs to do are there.
”Also email from Nurses Council sent to him on 4 September 2021.”
”Sorry for the typographic error, it should read 30 September 2021.”
Mrs Chaka failed to met with the questions head on on Marecha’s arguments and instead ran for cover by citing to this journalist that the nurse concerned should instead open his email.
Mnangagwa’s government announced a 50% salary hike for state employees and a $75 allowance for three months but workers said the increase was not reflected in their June pay. Despite the government trying to cushion its health workers, the corruption at the Nurses Association of Zimbabwe must be nipped in the bud as it is undermining all the efforts by the Harare regime.
Marecha in his letter of appeal to the government and anyone who can help cries foul confirming this corruption.
”It’s an act of corruption. They inflated annual registration fee figures by US$49 every year from 2015 to 2020.”
He says he is being victimized and seeks for protection from the government, ministry of health led by the retired general Constantine Chiwenga including the media to unearth this rot at the nurses association of Zimbabwe.
Jeffrey boldly though afraid writes in his letter that, ” Again they are victimizing me for demanding them to explain themselves. They haven’t issued me with the practicing certificate that I wanted.”
”I have lost opportunities here in SA as a result,”he says.
”Please help me,” Nurse Marecha ends his letter.To show how this has disturbed not only his life and career marecha further spoke to this journalist through electronic whatsapp stating,”This is the first time I see a registrar who victimises or abuses office because one is demanding clarity.”
”And it was reported last year that the nurses council bought a presidential chair worth over US$2600 yet the council does not have modern equipment to serve nurse, who happen to be their only source of income.
And it’s also reported that they are supposed to sit for council business four times a year but it was reported they for as many as 20 times so that they allocate themselves allowances from nurses council coffers.
Again it’s the issue of you know someone at the council or u do the other thing to get better service there”
”They bought the presidential chair for the nurses council board chair.”
At the time of going to publish this reporter has a record of countless phone calls he made to the Registrar which went unanswered as she sought to conceal what has now been made blatant.
Nevertheless the Chairperson of the Nurses Council Dr Dodzo vindicated herself as she gave this journalist more than ample time to explain she was not involved in receiving money from anyone all her illustrious career and she only approves paper work that comes from the Registrar the focal point dealing with Nurse Marecha.
Dr Dodzo said, ” i have never dealt with any nurse and never received any money in my professional life.What is the name of the nurse?Why would that person want to be a nurse when he or she is a nurse alread?”
”Can you Phone?” and during the telephone-conversation Dr Dodzo actually reached out to the nurse in point to avail himself so she could assist him however she can professionally and he gets back on his feet to practice his calling in nursing wherever in the world including South Africa where Marecha is based currently.
Whilst the chairperson of the nurses council Dr Dodzo exonerated herself, the Registrar, Mrs Chaka can only be left with egg on her face as this rampant corruption has been going on for decades and it is high time something gave either Dr Vice President Chiwenga acts as he is known to be a no-nonsense Minister having at one time fired every doctor and nurse who was not abiding by the code of ethics as Acting President the other time.Also since it is Dr Dodzo’s jurisdiction perhaps the good doctor must be urged and supported in reading the riot act at the Registrar or the rot at the nurse’s council.
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