A well-known South African TikToker, Matthew Lani, who had asserted himself as a medical professional, has been arrested nearly three weeks after authorities accused him of perpetrating fraudulent activities.
Lani was apprehended by security personnel from Johannesburg’s Helen Joseph Hospital as he attempted to access the facility on a Sunday night.
The Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that the hospital security team handed him over to the police.
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In a released statement, the department noted, “Lani was apprehended just before 8 PM, dressed incognito in a hoodie and sporting a surgical mask while wearing a stethoscope around his neck.”
Additionally, the department stated that Lani had previously gained access to the same facility, where he disseminated misleading content under the false identity of a qualified doctor.
Lani had amassed a significant following on TikTok by sharing medical-related content and promoting his own line of pills.
He purported to have obtained a doctorate from the University of the Witwatersrand, a claim that the university promptly refuted. Moreover, he had professed that his real identity was Dr. Sanele Zingelwa, but it was revealed that he had impersonated a medical intern at another medical facility.
The Health Professions Council of South Africa verified that Lani was not registered as a health practitioner.
