The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has opened a criminal case against an individual named Dr Matthew Lani for impersonating a medical doctor and falsely presenting himself as an employee of the department. 

VARIOUS PSEUDO MEDICAL

Lani had assumed various pseudo medical roles, including curating social media content at Helen Joseph Hospital in Gauteng. It was later discovered that Lani's real name is not Dr Sanele Zingelwa, as he claimed but that of a second-year medical intern at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital. The real Dr Zingelwa has filed a case of identity fraud against Lani.

YOUTH MONTH CAMPAIGN

"In June 2022 the Gauteng Department of Health collaborated with Lani for a Youth Month campaign video unaware of his false credentials. Later in October 2022, Lani raised concerns about non-payment as a medical intern at Helen Joseph Hospital prompting an investigation by the hospital's management. Subsequently, Lani deleted a video he had posted on TikTok."Lani also fabricated a false story about people being admitted to Helen Joseph Hospital due to a weight-loss pill, leading to an investigation by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) in August 2023, which found no such incident," reads the statement issued by their Head of Communication Motalatale Modiba. On Monday, Wits University distanced themselves from the so called Dr Lani. "Wits University is obliged to set the public record straight following claims made by Dr Mathew Lani on various social media platforms. Based on the names presented to the institution and the facts on hand, the University cannot find any person who graduated by the name of Mathew Bongani Zingelwa or Sanele Zingelwa in recent years. We are requesting Dr Matthew Lani to retract any such claim with immediate effect," the statement reads.