THREE people were arrested at Tonga Hospital in Mpumalanga after police found they had allegedly used fake matric certificates to enrol as auxiliary nurses.

THREE people were arrested at Tonga Hospital in Mpumalanga after police found they had allegedly used fake matric certificates to enrol as auxiliary nurses.

Police pounced on the three suspects at the hospital yesterday afternoon.

Another man and two women who are alleged to be involved with the three were also arrested.

The man was on duty when police arrived at the hospital at about midday and was apparently not aware that they had come to arrest him.

He told the police that two other people they were looking for were not on duty yesterday but were home.

The police asked him to call them to come to the hospital but a while later they left with him as the two women were not showing up.

Police were later informed that the women had arrived at the hospital and they went back to arrest them.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi said the suspects would be charged with fraud when they appear in the Tonga magistrate's court today.

"We are calling on other institutions to verify the qualifications of their staff because they may be sitting with fakes," Hlathi said.