[imagesource:TikTok]

Shame, this guy probably really believes he is a doctor.

The TikTok famous ‘Dr Matthew Lani’ has been posing as an employee of Helen Joseph Hospital, moving freely within the hospital for some time now. He would share ‘expert’ medical advice, like tips on HIV prevention and management, as well as skincare tips every once in a while to his thousands of followers on social media before being found out, denounced, and dragged all over the internet.

But somehow, the guy keeps coming back – like the plague.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) confirmed that Matthew Zingelwa-Lani was not registered as a health practitioner while the Gauteng Department of Health further revealed that Lani had assumed the identity of a second-year medical intern. Furthermore, the University of the Witwatersrand distanced itself from Lani, calling on him to retract any references to having studied at the university. The department even later confirmed that Lani never obtained his Grade 12 certificate.

He deleted his TikTok account but then made a new one, and every time he is confronted for his pretences and bogus claims, he comes up with some kind of excuse or story.

But it might truly be the end for this fake doctor, as he was finally arrested. IOL reports that he was caught by security personnel at the Helen Joseph Hospital while entering the main entrance of the facility wearing a SpongeBob T-shirt and a stethoscope – to really drive the vibe of bogus doc home.

“Lani was caught just before 8pm disguised in a hoodie and wearing a surgical mask with a stethoscope around his neck. He had previously entered the same facility to curate misleading content under the pretence that he was a qualified doctor,” the department said.

Just as he was caught, Lani asked to go to the bathroom where he attempted to escape by jumping through the bathroom window.

“When the security realised that he was making a run for it, they called for reinforcement, and he was subsequently apprehended again. The police were immediately called. Lani has since been handed over to the police for an official arrest,” the department said.

His lip appears to have been busted in his attempted escape:

Dr Matthew aka Bongani Lani has been arrested 🧐 pic.twitter.com/UqQP4w5o3V

— Kgopolo (@PhilMphela) October 29, 2023

Lani had a good run as a fake doctor, though, going on media tours, getting a sit-down interview on SABC 3, and being interviewed in a 40-minute interview on Talk Radio 702 in the summer of 2021.

The denial is strong on this one. May he get the help he truly needs – from a real doctor.

[source:iol]