This followed complaints by more than 200 of his patients
who suspected they were given fake medical results and approached the Zimbabwe
Anti-Corruption Commission on June 14.
Exactly one month later, after police and ZACC
investigations, Mandaza yesterday appeared in court on fraud charges. He was not
asked to plead to the charges when he appeared before magistrate Mr Dennis
Mangosi, who remanded him in custody to today to hear his bail application.
And in his remand hearing, the State led by Mr Ephraim
Zinyandu outlined the alleged scam.
Mandaza is alleged to have been collecting blood, sputum
and other samples for laboratory tests and charging the patients a test fee.
He then allegedly prepared reports on a computer for the
Sampling Diagnostic Laboratory which does not appear to exist, using the name
of Dr Jasper Chimedza, who is Secretary of Health and Child Welfare, and
claiming someone called Martin Jones prepared the results and someone called
Michael Chigwada reviewed them.
Police investigations could not find any Sampling Diagnostic
Laboratory. No such laboratory is registered with the Medical Laboratory and
Clinical Scientists Council of Zimbabwe and the Health Professional Authority
of Zimbabwe.
There is no such entity at 13 Robson Manyika Avenue, the
address on its paperwork. Mr Jones and Mr Chigwada are not registered or listed
as scientific staff anywhere.
But a ZACC raid on Monday on Mandaza hospital at Kamunhu
Shopping Centre in Mabvuku and his home in nearby Zimre Park in Ruwa did find
patient files, a date stamp of Sampling Diagnostic Laboratory and computers
allegedly used in preparing results.
They had to in the end break into his personal locker to
recover around 1 000 files dating back to 2017.
The investigation started when renal patient Ivy Chaitezvi
(67), liver patient Simbisai Chisue and 200 others, suspected their test
results were not proper, lodged their complaint with ZACC. Herald
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