Social media was abuzz on Monday when bogus doctor Matthew Lani made it on trending lists again, this time with a media interview to tell his side of the story.
Lani gained popularity on the short-form video social media platform TikTok where he provided medical advice and claimed to be a doctor. His videos were widely shared on social media, with many people doubting his qualifications.
While media plays a crucial role to inform people about current affairs, many on social media appeared to criticise the move to interview Lani, who brought the medical fraternity into disrepute by posing as a medical officer.
Social media users said instead of media interviewing people who have been found wanting, they should provide the platforms to people who positively contribute to society, such as medical doctor Sandile Qwabe, who became a major talking point for his preferred isipantsula style dress code. Some people deemed his dress code as unprofessional for a medical doctor.
Wits University and Cambridge International University, where Lani claimed to have obtained his medical degree and a higher certificate, said they had no record of him being a registered student.
The Gauteng department of health laid criminal charges against him for impersonating a medical doctor. The charges were withdrawn when Lani appeared at the Johannesburg magistrate's court last month.
In a robust interview on MetroFM, Lani was quizzed about his education background and why he was arrested at Helen Joseph Hospital.
He said letters of demand for defamation of character were served to the health department for wrongful arrest.
“The health department in Gauteng accused me of identity theft. They needed to establish whether the allegations against me were true. Helen Joseph [hospital] does not know me by the Lani surname. They know me by my family surname, which I can't say,” Lani claimed.
The TikTok personality was adamant about having graduated from Wits University, saying he is waiting for the higher learning institution to release a statement retracting its previous remarks that there was no record of him at the university.
“Wits University told me I should get an affidavit at a police station for them to retract their statement about me not being on their records, which I did. My lawyer is following up on why there has been no retraction yet.”
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Image: Alaister Russell
Social media was abuzz on Monday when bogus doctor Matthew Lani made it on trending lists again, this time with a media interview to tell his side of the story.
Lani gained popularity on the short-form video social media platform TikTok where he provided medical advice and claimed to be a doctor. His videos were widely shared on social media, with many people doubting his qualifications.
While media plays a crucial role to inform people about current affairs, many on social media appeared to criticise the move to interview Lani, who brought the medical fraternity into disrepute by posing as a medical officer.
Social media users said instead of media interviewing people who have been found wanting, they should provide the platforms to people who positively contribute to society, such as medical doctor Sandile Qwabe, who became a major talking point for his preferred isipantsula style dress code. Some people deemed his dress code as unprofessional for a medical doctor.
Wits University and Cambridge International University, where Lani claimed to have obtained his medical degree and a higher certificate, said they had no record of him being a registered student.
The Gauteng department of health laid criminal charges against him for impersonating a medical doctor. The charges were withdrawn when Lani appeared at the Johannesburg magistrate's court last month.
In a robust interview on MetroFM, Lani was quizzed about his education background and why he was arrested at Helen Joseph Hospital.
He said letters of demand for defamation of character were served to the health department for wrongful arrest.
“The health department in Gauteng accused me of identity theft. They needed to establish whether the allegations against me were true. Helen Joseph [hospital] does not know me by the Lani surname. They know me by my family surname, which I can't say,” Lani claimed.
The TikTok personality was adamant about having graduated from Wits University, saying he is waiting for the higher learning institution to release a statement retracting its previous remarks that there was no record of him at the university.
“Wits University told me I should get an affidavit at a police station for them to retract their statement about me not being on their records, which I did. My lawyer is following up on why there has been no retraction yet.”
Have a closer look at the debate on social media:
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