Cape Town – Another criminal case has reportedly been registered against Matthew Bongani Lani, a bogus medical doctor, at the Christiana police station in the North West province.
According to reports, the case involves a charge of perjury and was opened by a patient tracer for the North West Department of Health, Bonolo Seleke, who had challenged Lani’s bogus medical claims.
Seleke told the media that while she was on duty at the Utlwanang Clinic, Lani arrived with a child he purported to be his nephew. She said that he initially appeared in regular attire, but once the nurses left the area, he swiftly changed into medical scrubs, The Citizen reported.
Subsequently, Seleke noted that Lani began taking pictures on his smartphone. She expressed her suspicion regarding this behaviour and initiated inquiries into it.
Before this incident, she had come across Facebook posts in which Lani asserted that he had been appointed as a doctor at the Christiana Hospital, the report said.
According to News24 , Seleke, confronted Lani on Facebook after seeing his false claim of working the night shift as a doctor. In response, Lani obtained a restraining order against her, leading to her resignation from the hospital.
Despite community criticism, last month, Lani was caught at Helen Joseph Hospital, attempting to enter the hospital disguised as a doctor, and he later tried to escape but was apprehended by security guards.
A video of his arrest has gone viral on TikTok, where he had posed as a doctor for several years.
Dr Matthew Lani has been arrested👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/QJCQNJdx5w
— insimbi edlezinye✨ (@Khanyih_Ngubane) October 29, 2023
The National Prosecuting Authority later dropped charges against him, citing a lack of a prima facie case.
Lani gained social media attention by claiming to be one of the youngest doctors in the country, but institutions like Wits University, the Health Professions Council of SA, and the international college he claimed to have attended denied any association with him.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
