In a shocking turn of events, social media personality Dr Mathew Bongani Lani, with over 294,000 followers on TikTok, is facing criminal charges for impersonating a medical doctor.
The provincial Department of Health in Gauteng has filed a case against him at the Brixton police station.
Dr Lani, whose real name is Matthew Bongani Lani, has been promoting himself as a medical professional on social media platforms. He has also used the name Sanele Zingelwa.
However, several institutions have publicly distanced themselves from him, exposing his false credentials.
In one of his TikTok videos, Dr Lani admitted to not having a matric certificate and instead claimed to have received a scholarship to study at Cambridge University.
He further stated that he graduated from Wits University at the age of 21 and became a doctor at 22, skipping several grades: 4, 6 and 8.
@banzi_m1 Dr Matthew Lani is not his stage name but real name. He is not 24 but 27 years old. What else is he lying about? #Drmatthew21 #FYP #SAMA28 #drmatthew ♬ original sound - Banzai
However, investigations have revealed that he is not a registered doctor with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) website, raising serious concerns about the authenticity of his medical expertise.
Dr Lani attempted to defend himself by stating that his social media name, Dr Matthew Lani, is just a pseudonym. However, his claims have been debunked as the name on his scrubs matches his social media persona.
The institutions Dr Lani aligned himself with, including Wits University, have publicly disassociated themselves from him, urging him to retract his false claims.
Wits University clarified that they have no record of a graduate by the name of Matthew Bongani Zingelwa or Sanele Zingelwa in recent years.
It was also revealed that Wits does not offer an MBBS degree, contrary to Dr Lani's LinkedIn profile.
In response to the social media frenzy around Dr Lani impersonating a medical professional, social media users and individuals who have attended school with the real Dr S Zingelwa during the alleged period are stepping forward to set the record straight.
They assert that Dr Lani is not who he claims to be and that the true Dr Zingelwa is being falsely represented.
One user, who goes by Kgotlelelo_Pers, shared a post expressing disbelief in Dr Lani's identity.
The post revealed, "Bathong! Not that badge, hey? 😭 I know Dr S Zingelwa. It's not him! 😭 I worked with Dr Zingelwa last year during my Paediatrics rotation at Tembisa Hospital, which was his first year of internship."
Bathong! Not that badge, hey?😭
— Kgotlelelo (@kgotlelelo_Pers) October 9, 2023
I know Dr S Zingelwa. It’s not him!😭 I worked with Dr Zingelwa last year (his first year of internship) at Tembisa Hospital during my Paediatrics rotation.
Also, Dr Zingelwa did Medicine in Cuba! He just collaborated at wits. This man is lying! https://t.co/eif7VgZyPh
In true X (formerly Twitter) style, users shared a few things that should’ve been red flags from the beginning, one of them being that Witsies do not wear hoods on their graduation apparel.
Cambridge International College also released a statement dissociating their institution from “Dr Lani’’.
‘’Cambridge International College places the utmost importance on the integrity of its academic records and the credibility of the qualifications obtained by its students.
‘’We hereby vehemently deny any suggestion or statement asserting that Mr Matthew Zingelwa-Lani holds any qualification from our institution,“ read the statement.
Furthermore, the post highlighted that the actual Dr Zingelwa pursued his medical education in Cuba, with a collaboration at Wits University. This revelation contradicts the claims made by Tiktok’s favourite doctor.
“Further investigations have revealed that Dr Sanele Zingelwa, the name which Lani claims is his real name, belongs to a second-year medical intern at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital.
“The real Dr Sanele Sobani Vambani Zingelwa has since opened a case of identity fraud at the Tembisa Police Station,” the Gauteng Department of Health statement said.
“The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has noted with concern a video of Mr Mathews Zingelwa-Lani, which has gone viral on social media platforms. In the widely circulated video, Mr Mathews Zingelwa-Lani claims to have been authorised by the HPCSA to make and distribute his video.”
“The HPCSA would like to put it on record that no authorisation has been granted to Mr Mathews Zingelwa-Lani to make statements on behalf of our Council stating that he’s a registered practitioner.”
In addition to dispensing false medical advice on TikTok, Dr Lani has also been selling weight loss pills. Social media users are now coming forward to express their concerns about the potential harm caused by his misinformation.
This case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers posed by bogus doctors and the importance of verifying the credentials of individuals providing medical advice.
The public has been encouraged to seek guidance from registered and trusted medical professionals to ensure their well-being and safety.