Struck off 'doctor' a serial con artist
Alleged neurosurgeon was also fired in Zimbabwe and Botswana for similar offences
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NYUNYI Wambuyi Katumba, the alleged neurosurgeon who was struck off the roll by the Health Professions Council of South Africa in December, is a serial con artist.
Just a month after he was fired by three South African hospitals for fake qualifications, it turns out that Katumba, originally from Congo, was also fired in Zimbabwe and Botswana for similar offences.
His former employer, Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, now also wants him thrown out of the country.
"The work permit given to him by Home Affairs was on the strength that he was a qualified neurosurgeon," Steve Biko chief executive Ernest Kenoshi said.
Authorities in Zimbabwe and Botswana said Katumba was kicked out of government employment because of shoddy work and poor performance. He then came to work in South Africa and was registered by the HPCSA as a neurosurgeon.
It is not clear how the HPCSA registered Katumba as the body was supposed to have investigated and verified his qualifications.
His enrolment is also questionable in that all foreign qualified medical practitioners are supposed to write an entry exam which is equivalent to the final-year medical qualification.
HPCSA spokeswoman Bertha Peter-Scheepers confirmed that Katumba was struck off the roll after he failed to prove that he was a qualified neurosurgeon.
Asked why Katumba was registered as neurosurgeon while he did not have the proper qualifications, Peter-Scheepers said officials who could comment on the issue were still on holiday.
Some of the hospitals Katumba had worked at include Steve Biko Academic, Mediclinic Medforum in Pretoria and Chris Hani-Baragwanath in Soweto.
Katumba was fired after the hospitals he had worked for received a letter of erasure from the HPCSA.
Katumba worked for two years under extended probation as a specialist neurosurgeon, said Kenoshi.
"We appointed him after he produced a certificate of registration with the HPCSA, but our assessment of his performance during his initial one-year probation period persuaded us to extend it by another year for closer assessment and observation. After two years of probation, we decided to fire him," Kenoshi said.
Johanna More, chief executive at Bara, said she was not aware that Katumba had been fired from Steve Biko Academic Hospital when he was appointed.
More said they were glad that they had noticed early enough that Katumba was a fake and fired him. "He has never been involved in any major operation in this hospital," she said.
RobinH
I find this incomprehensible. How could the hospital appoint him without actually seeing his qualifications. His appointment can only have been with co-operation from someone on the inside. There will always be people trying cons. The official responsible for his appointment should be investigated thoroughly.Report Abuse
Pointman
Mind boggles. I appointed a technician in my department once and his qualifications, ID, references etc was thoroughly checked. Once call to Steve Biko Academic would have proved he was unfit. And Ms More you consider two years to be "early enough" to detect fraud - you sure about that - two weeks are more likely.Report Abuse
candilious
@Robin- Morning -Funny though he keeps on getting a job makes you wonder. But then again SA alive with possiblitiesReport Abuse
RobinH
Someone definitely facilitated this and that needs to be unpacked till the culprit is brought to light.Report Abuse
munhu
God knows how many lives he messed in those two years. They want him deported. Thought he was supposed to be arrested for murder.Report Abuse
Nyabi
I wonder how many foreign fake doctors are treating the sick all over SA, how can a doctor be fired from Steve Biko academic hospital and Baragwanath did not pick it up.Private surgeries run by foreigners are very suspect.Report Abuse
Kwankwetla
This guy is indeed a Con artist.I personally handled his case while I was working for the Dept. of Health.
He also proclaimed himself as this holy man of God / Pastor.
I think Dr. Kenoshi must open a criminal case against this crook.
Report Abuse
ApelMankotsana
When did the culture of cross referencing from previous employers die ? I suppose that had the hosputal checked with all his former employers, they could have at least detected some of these things in his early days.Report Abuse
Gijima
Doctors get employment so easy, your ticket to get employed is the registration from the HPCSA council.Report Abuse
RobinH
Kwankwetla: You handled "his case" personally? A strange admission. What does that mean exactly? Are you saying that you made this possible, or that you are part of the investigation?Report Abuse