Matthew Bongani Lani, the fraudulent TikTok "doctor," has ultimately admitted to his deceit and apologised to South Africans for giving medical advice to his followers while he is not qualified in the field. 

HE CONFIRMS HE IS NOT A REAL DOCTOR

In a new TikTok video recently, Lani explains that he created a Dr Matthew persona as a way to help those with HIV through his NGO, Greater Than Aids Africa. It has since been verified that no records exist of the NGO being established as an entity in the country. "Dr Matthew gained traction, and people believed the advice I told them. I must admit that along the way, I got excited with the attention I received. I misrepresented myself and did not put the best interest of the public at heart," said Lani. From Utlwanang township in Christiana, North West, Lani saw his TikTok followers swelling to more than 200,000; this, he said, got him excited, and he started chasing clout. He added that he was selfish and put himself before everybody else and before the safety of those who followed him and his advice. "So I would like to apologise to people whose trust I broke and those people to whom I planted a seed of confusion and doubt," he said. 

HE WANTS TO BE A BETTER PERSON

He said he was back on social media to show people what accountability is and that he was sorry for his actions. "I am working on being the better version of myself, and I would not advise people to follow clout and put people's lives at risk just for likes on social media, he added. He said he is grateful that in the few days he's been back on social media, he has already gained more than 40,000 followers. He said he hopes people will be with him in the journey of reflection since he is taking responsibility for his actions. A few months ago, Lani said that he was staying in a homeless shelter with his mother after losing everything following his arrest at the Helen Joseph hospital in 2023 for impersonating a medical doctor. At the time, he insisted that he was a doctor, even though the Department of Health and the University of Witwatersrand, where he claimed he studied, said they did not have any records of him as a student.