Zimbabwean Nurse Arrested For USD15,000 Life Insurance Fraud

A 40-year-old registered nurse from Mutare, Zimbabwe, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding Zimnat Life Assurance of USD15,000 by claiming insurance benefits using the identities of deceased individuals.

Shamiso Esinath Nyamundanda (née Musafari), who works at Bamba Rural Health Clinic, appeared before the Harare Magistrates’ Court on three counts of fraud.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority, between August 2022 and July 2025, Nyamundanda opened three life insurance policies in the names of deceased persons, claiming USD5,000 per policy. She allegedly submitted forged affidavits in her own handwriting, falsely presenting herself as a relative of the deceased.

The scheme was uncovered when an assurance manager noticed irregularities in the documents and alerted the police. Investigations revealed that the total payout of USD15,000 had been deposited directly into Nyamundanda’s bank account.

She was granted bail of USD300 and is scheduled to return to court on December 9, 2025, for routine remand.

Insurance authorities warned that such fraudulent activities erode public trust and harm genuine policyholders, stressing that professionals who abuse positions of trust for personal gain will face the full force of the law.

The case follows a rising trend of insurance fraud in Zimbabwe. In June 2024, Sylvester Rusere, 36, from Hopely, was fined USD400 after fabricating a fictitious daughter and falsely reporting her death to claim EcoSure funeral benefits. He also received a three-month suspended sentence, with the court warning of imprisonment if the fine was not paid.