Charges were withdrawn this week against the man known on Tiktok as “Dr Matthew Lani”, who was arrested on Sunday night at Helen Joseph Hospital and accused of identity theft and impersonating a doctor.
All criminal charges against him have been withdrawn, according to his lawyer Dumisani Mabunda after Lani’s appearance at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Accompanied by his lawyer, and with a wound on his lip, Lani emerged from court on crutches, having not set foot in the dock as the matter was not placed on the court roll. This followed consultations between his lawyer and prosecutors, reports News24.
In an ad hoc press conference, Lani admitted he was not a doctor and insisted his online persona was purely for “entertainment”.
Mabunda told TimesLIVE that although investigations might continue, they were confident the matter would not be reinstated.
“The state has no prima facie evidence against him. We have wise prosecutors who read from the docket and they concurred with us that there’s no case against him. There will be possible investigations.
“He was facing one charge of impersonating a doctor and as we have already indicated, his conduct was just for entertainment. There’s no person who says that he actually consulted with him and paid him as a doctor.
“He’s not a qualified doctor,” added Mabunda.
Lani said: “This whole situation has been overwhelming from the day it started. The past couple of hours have been difficult.”
He added that he was considering his future as a social media “doctor”.
Asked how he was injured, why he was at the hospital and where he had got fake qualification certificates to purport to be a doctor on social media, he refused to comment.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said: “We received a docket, but (its contents prevented us from placing) the matter on the roll. It (has been) refused pending further investigations. There are no charges at this stage, there is no evidence. We cannot say it was a rushed arrest. There are no prospects of a successful prosecution.”
Mjonondwane added that the NPA had to differentiate between Lani being a content creator or a person who misrepresented himself.
“You cannot be charged for lying unless you lie under oath,” she said.
Security guards had apprehended Lani on Sunday night after having spotted him at the hospital several times during the week.
“He frequented the emergency ward and other wards on the fourth floor. He walked around with a stethoscope around his neck,” one said, adding that he had thought Lani was actually a doctor, and that he usually arrived at the hospital in e-hailing vehicles.
The South African Medical Association warned that bogus doctors posed significant risks to public health and safety.
Spokesperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa said fake medical practitioners eroded public trust in the healthcare system.
“Over the past three years, the Health Professions Council of SA has arrested more than 120 individuals, who posed as doctors, in an extensive crackdown on fraudulent medical practices.
“They … potentially cause harm through misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatments and unregulated procedures.”
News24 article – 'I'm no doctor' – Matthew Lani speaks after release (Open access)
TimesLIVE article – LISTEN | No charge: 'Dr' Matthew Lani is free (Restricted access)
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HPCSA and SAPS crackdown on bogus medics