‘Bogus doctor Matthew Lani doesn’t have matric’

The Gauteng department of education has revealed that bogus doctor Matthew Lani doesn’t have a matric certificate.

The department also said the TikTok doctor was previously enrolled at school for pupils with special needs.

The alleged imposter known as Dr Matthew Lani has been trending on social media since the weekend after it emerged that he could be a fake doctor. He is known for giving medical advice on social media and has in the past been interviewed by several radio stations to comment on health matters. He also sells weight-loss pills on his social media platforms. 

He also claimed to have graduated with a medical qualification at Wits University when he was 21 years old. He claimed he was a smart pupil who had been allowed to skip some grades at school.   

However, education department spokesperson Steve Mabona confirmed yesterday that Matthew Lani didn’t have a matric certificate.

"Our official records indicate that Matthew Bongani Lani was initially enrolled at Bordeaux Primary school [Randburg]  in 2007. However, he was referred to Gresswold Learners with Special Needs School in Johannesburg in January 2010,” said Mabona.

Mabona added that based on the evidence they have, Lani re-emerged in their system in 2016 at Fourways Adult Centre where he managed to pass only one subject out of the three he wrote.

“Based on these records, and further verified information at our disposal from Umalusi (the education quality assurance body), we can confirm that Matthew Bongani Lani indeed does not possess a matric certificate,” said Mabona.

On Monday, the Gauteng health department opened a case of impersonating a doctor against him. The department said Lani assumed various pseudo medical roles as he falsely presented himself as an employee of the department.

Wits University said Lani did not graduate from its institution, while the Health Professions Council of SA said such a person was not a registered health practitioner.