The student doctor whose identity has been stolen by social media and Tik Tok bogus doctor Mathew Lani has spoken out about how the incident has affected him and his family. In a statement released through the Gauteng Department of Health, Dr Sanele Zingelwa who is an intern medical doctor at the Tembisa Hospital said he did not know Lani.

VARIOUS PSEUDO

Lani had assumed various pseudo medical roles, including curating social media content at Helen Joseph Hospital in Gauteng. In a Tik Tok video trying to clear his name, Lani claimed that the name he was using on social media was not his real name by just a handle. He further claimed to be Dr Sanele Zingelwa, who studied at Wits University. The department's investigations discovered that Lani was never a doctor and that he stole Dr Zingelwa's identity. It was later discovered that the real Dr Sanele Zingelwa,is a second-year medical intern at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital. The real Dr Zingelwa has since opened a case of identity fraud against Lani.

THE MATTER HAS PUT A STRAIN ON HIM AND HIS FAMILY

In the statement, Dr Zingelwa said he did not know the Tik Tok fake doctor and that his action has put a strain on him and his family. "I must put it on record that I do not know the so-called 'Dr Matthew Lani'. It is unfortunate that he would abuse social media for his own selfish ends. I have opened a case with the South African Police Service of identity fraud. I hope the bogus doctor will be brought to justice. I would like to request that the SAPS and the whole justice system to work expeditiously to conclude the matter," he said.

Zingelwa said he studied for a medical degree in Cuba from late 2014 until August 2020 and as part of the Cuban programme, students were expected to come complete an 18-month integration programme at a local institution. He completed his integration programme at the University of the Witwatersrand from September 2020 until December 2021 and began his internship at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital in January 2022 to date. Zin "I must say I am grateful for the overwhelming support that I have received from my family, friends, colleagues and South Africans at large on this matter. I will not be making any further comments on the matter," said Zingelwa.

NO MATRIC CERTIFICATE

As if the non-existant of the medical qualification was not shocking enough, the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has come forward to say Lani does not have a matric certificate. "We can confirm that there is no existing record of a National Senior Certificate (NSC) or matric certificate for Matthew Bongani Lani who has been masquerading on social media as a medical practitioner," the department spokesperson Steve Mabona said. The department said in a statement that their official records indicate that Matthew Bongani Lani was initially enrolled at Bordeaux Primary School in Randburg in 2007. However, he was referred to Gresswold Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) School in Kew, Johannesburg in January 2010 but he dropped out of the school two years later. "Matthew re-emerged on our system in 2016 at Fourways Adult Centre, where he wrote 3 subjects as a part time candidate. However, he only passed one of those subjects," Mabona added.