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Wits University and HPCSA: We have no record of ‘influencer doctor’ Matthew Lani
"Dr. Matthew Lani" claimed to be Wits University graduate registered as a health practitioner with the HPCSA.
Wits University has requested Dr. Matthew Lani to retract his remarks about having graduated from the institution. Image: TikTok
Wits University has confirmed it has no record of social media ‘doctor’ Matthew Lani on its registry.
The university issued a statement following the social media frenzy questioning the influencer’s credentials.
‘Dr. Matthew Lani’ claims to be a qualified medical doctor with a qualification from Wits University and registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) under the name Dr. Sanele Zingelwa, which he claimed is his ‘legal name’.
Lani who boasts a TikTok following of over 285,000, is popularly known for his medical advice, especially on HIV prevention and management.
He’s also shared videos of what seemingly appeared to be hospital corridors on the social media platform – documenting his “work shifts.”
Lani previously said he was enrolled at Wits from 2014 to 2021. “I graduated from Wits medical school at the age of 21,” said Lani in a TikTok video.
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The institution said on Monday it was unable to locate ‘Dr. Matthew Lani’ on its records.
“Based on the names presented to the institution, and the facts on hand, the University cannot find any person who graduated by the name of Matthew Bongani Zingelwa or Sanele Zingelwa in recent years.”
The University further warned Lani.
“We are requesting ‘Dr. Matthew Lani’ to retract any such claim with immediate effect.”
The HPCSA soon followed suit, confirming it has no records of a Mr. Matthews Zingelwa-Lani on its registry.
“The HPCSA would also like to publicly state that the name of Matthews Zingelwa-Lani does not appear in the register of health practitioners,” said HPCSA spokesperson Christopher Tsatsawane.
The HPCSA also said it would work with law enforcement agencies to address the increasing number of “bogus practitioners,” whom it said placed public health at risk.
‘I’ve been down this road before’
Attempts to contact Lani were unsuccessful at the time of publishing this article. Any comment will be included once received.
But, in response to the social media storm around him, Lani told his TikTok followers he’d been down this “road” before.
“I’ve been down this road before, I’ve made videos, I’ve shown receipts. I’ve been addressing this matter, and it’s getting to a point where it’s exhausting because it seems like it’s just falling on deaf ears.”
He claimed that his employer was aware of the distinction between his legal name and social media alias.
“My employer is aware that my name on social media is different to my legal name, and I’m in compliance with the social media guidelines of the HPCSA,”
“As long as I’m in compliance with the necessary authorities, I’m not going to be compliant with ‘Black Twitter,’ he added.
ALSO READ: Qualification fraud should be easy to fix – but why isn’t SA doing anything?
